Twist of Fate
by KonohasBlackReaper
Summary: When Naruto is ten, an incident makes him run away from the leaf village. Read how it changes certain things in his life when he runs into certain mist missing nins. But fate has a way of righting itself as Naruto lives a life among new friends while working his magic and changing lives, working for the day when he fulfills his dream. Believably stronger Naruto
1. A Leaf Breaks Away From The Tree

**Hello every one... For those of you reading my work for the first time, Welcome :-D... For those who have read my stories, Welcome back! Some important background information: **

***Naruto is ten years old **

*** He joined the academy when he was 6 instead of the normal 8 because the Third thought Naruto would be treated better in there rather than in a civilian school. The poor dreamer :-) **

***According to the deal he made with the third, Naruto would be eligible to take the graduation exam from this year, if he can manage the academy jutsu.  
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**EDIT: 2nd DEC 2012- It has been brought to my attention that I have been mis spelling Sarutobi's first name as Hizuren instead of Hiruzen. Since I am way too lazy and short on time, please let this slide. In the future chapters I'll try to correct this mistake.  
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* * *

**Chapter 1: A Leaf Breaks From The Tree**

* * *

The streets of Konoha were empty as its citizens had retreated to their homes for the night. The moon shone brightly on the village as a lone shadow streaked across the rooftops. The shadow was too small for a grown ninja, yet the shadow was moving with a level of stealth that would have made a chuunin proud. The shadow belonged to a young boy by the name of Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto was pissed. He knew that expecting any sort of fairness from the people around him was a bit too foolish of him, but what happened today had just been ridiculous. Their was an academy teacher that took classes when Iruka-sensei wasn't around. Today, his favorite sensei had been on leave and so the man had taken charge of their classes. He had paired Naruto against that cold Uchiha bastard again for a No-holds-barred match. He had smirked that Naruto could use the practice if he intended to go for the Graduation exam. Naruto knew that the teacher did that on purpose so he would lose and get humiliated, but this time Naruto had been prepared. Who cares if he had used less-than-honorable means to defeat the Uchiha? They were ninjas, dammit! _Ninja are supposed to be masters of deception and subtr- subteru-suberterfuge? Or whatever,_ he fumed. Instead of praise, he had been yelled at and sent home. Even most of his classmates had bad-mouthed him. The fan girls had hit him for daring to singe their hero's hair and eyebrows. They had looked at him with those cold and hateful eyes. It had hurt. Naruto had not wasted his time at his home. After spending some well-deserved time yelling curses and screaming about injustice, he had sat down to plot his revenge. He chuckled. The teacher would never know what hit him. Naruto's face was home to an evil smile as he bounded away to his destination. He grinned as he remembered the spar.

-_flashback-_

_Naruto groaned as he heard the teacher pair him up with the bastard. He heard others sniggering as they realized that they were going to get free entertainment. As he walked into the middle of the training area, he heard his crush asking why the oh-so-cool prodigy had to be paired up with the bottom of the class. He didn't show it, but it hurt. _

_Naruto tried hard not to smirk. He had known this would happen as soon as Iruka sensei had announced yesterday that he would be on leave today and told the class that he had arranged a replacement. He had known who the replacement was going to be._

_He felt the tags he had bribed Chouji to buy for him. They were expensive, but they were going to be worth it when the haughty Uchiha ate dust at the end of the spar. He smirked as he took a stance. The dark haired boy opposite him seemed to regard him with indifference, as if Naruto was just a minor inconvenience he just had to swat away. Naruto's hands stiffened. It was this attitude that stopped Naruto from approaching the Uchiha, even though he knew that the boy was as lonely as him. Naruto had noticed that the boy was hurting just like himself. Many a times he had come across the last uchiha sitting alone on the river's bank. If only he wasn't such a haughty bastard, he and Naruto could be each other's support. Naruto shook these thoughts away as he made a plan._

_All around the training room, people waited for the genius to pound the dead last into the ground. Both boys started circling each other. Just like Naruto had predicted, the last Uchiha took every step to counter Naruto's movement. Naruto resisted the urge to laugh out loud. He began his trap._

_"Oye loser! I'll take you down without even laying my hands on you." He yelled loudly. He received the response he had expected. His classmates jeered as the fan girls screamed at him. His opponent merely smirked._

_"Not even in a thousand years, dobe." Sasuke threw back at him._

_Naruto stumbled and fell down. Everyone laughed as Sasuke gestured for him to get up. Naruto smirked inwardly. He had counted on the bastard not attacking him while he was down. He would deem it unnecessary. Why bother, when he thought he could do it with Naruto standing and alert? Naruto jumped and started to circle again. The Uchiha mirrored his movement. Naruto stopped as the bastard reached the spot where he had 'fallen'. He grinned his prankster smile._

_His opponent betrayed no emotion on his face, but he was suddenly wary. You did not study in the same class as the blonde and not recognize that grin. Sasuke decided that he needed to end it before the fool tried anything. He began the seals for his jutsu. Others who recognized the seals smirked. Sasuke frowned as the blonde smirked too. He tensed as the blonde spoke._

_"Boom."_

_Everyone jumped as the raven haired boy disappeared in an explosion. Everyone stared in silence as the flash from the explosion faded and revealed a smoking figure of Sasuke Uchiha on the ground. All except Naruto, who was laughing his head off._

_It all went downhill from there._

_-End flashback- _

* * *

Naruto reached the house to which he had followed his teacher in the evening. The house was above the shops on the side of one of Konoha's smaller roads. The light was still on inside the room. Naruto peeked cautiously from the open window. The man was sitting at the table, bent over scrolls. Naruto was surprised. He had expected his teacher to be asleep by now. It was almost midnight. This would be trickier than he thought. Instead of inside the room, he would have to settle for outside, or at the window. It would drastically reduce the blast zone. Naruto bit back a chuckle because he knew that to be caught now would be a crying shame. He quietly and quickly started working on his trap.

After a few quiet minutes, he jumped back to check his trap. It wouldn't be visible from inside the room. The trap's trigger wire ran under the window sill. All someone would have to do was to grip the windowsill and their fingertips would trigger the trap. Naruto took a few pebbles out of his pockets, took aim and tossed them at the wall below the window. From his hiding spot, he saw his teacher turn to look towards the window, alert. His teacher grabbed a kunai and moved towards the window. He glanced outside, his kunai held up to defend against any projectiles. Satisfied, He turned and started to walk back to his table.

Naruto frowned. This man had not set off the trap. Naruto would have to try again. He threw a few more pebbles, but this time he aimed at the wall under the window sill so it would sound like someone was hiding below the window. Naruto grinned as his plan worked. The ninja jumped back to the window and in a quick movement, grabbed the window sill and bent outwards to look under it. His eyes were met by darkness, but his ears heard a distinctive snap. Suddenly, three balloons swung at him, each had a smoking low grade exploding tag. His awkward position didn't allow him to dodge as the balloons exploded and rained orange goo like substance all over the place. His upper body that was outside his window took most of the splatter.

He heard laughter and looked across the road, on the opposite roof, to see Naruto pointing and laughing at him. He was rolling on the roof, full of mirth.

"SERVES YOU RIGHT FOR BEING AN UNFAIR JACKASS-DATTEBAYO! HAHAHA HAHA." Naruto yelled between guffaws. He turned, gave his teacher the finger and jumped away before the (now) orange colored ninja could catch him. He turned towards his apartment building and ran.

"YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT." His teacher screamed, orange color dripping from his exposed chest, neck and face as he leaned out of his window. "I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS..". He grabbed his weapon pouch and jumped out to follow the retreating shadow on the rooftops. Naruto turned and saw that he was being pursued. Going home was not advisable, he decided.

Naruto decided to try evasive tactics. He started to stick to the shadows and took sharp turns into dark alleys, rapidly changing directions while inside the shadows. He soon found out that it wasn't doing any good and that the chuunin was slowly gaining on him. Naruto decided that desperate times called for desperate measures.

Naruto ran towards the forest, hoping his teacher wouldn't want to follow him into the dark woods in the night. He was disappointed when he turned to saw the angry man gaining on him. He upped his speed even though he knew that he couldn't hope to outrun the chuunin behind him. He saw the big sign of the place he had heard the other shinobi call "The Forest of Death". He didn't want to go in there, seeing as even some of the ninja spoke of it in fear. This little moment of hesitation was all the ninja chasing him needed to close the gap between them. Naruto was about to dash left when he felt a sharp kick to the back of his spine that sent him flying into the boundary of the infamous training ground.

Naruto bounced off the huge steel fence and slammed to the ground. He tried to jump back up, but failed. The kick and his fast journey from the fence to the ground had knocked the wind out of him. He breathed heavily as his teacher landed a small distance from him.

"You little demon, too long you have been allowed to continue to torment us." Naruto heard his teacher speak, satisfaction oozing out of every syllable. "It is time that the mistake is corrected." the man sneered as he withdrew a handful of shuriken and hurled them at Naruto. Naruto screamed as the Shuriken pierced his flesh. He fell to the ground, his wounds bleeding.

Naruto was beginning to feel scared. His prank may have been a bit too much, but the man wouldn't kill him for that, would he? Naruto tried to scamper to his feet but was rewarded with bone crunching kick to the side of the head. His head exploded with pain. The teacher wasn't in-charge of taijutsu for nothing. His attacks hurt like other attacks had never before. He tumbled across the ground to a tree. He slammed into it and lay on the ground, grunting in pain.

"You will pay for all of your sins; for ruining our lives." Naruto heard the man speak. He was seriously over reacting to a prank.

"The color will wash off after a bath." Naruto gasped through the pain.

"You little fool. Trying to play innocent? It will not work on me. You will pay for all the lives you have taken, including my father's." The chuunin spoke as he made hand seals and shot out a fire jutsu. Naruto barely rolled out of the fire attack and felt the scalding hot air on his neck as he gasped for air.

"I never killed anybody- dattebayo!" Naruto replied, baffled at the response his prank had invited from his teacher. It was not unnatural for him to be despised and shunned. He had known before his prank that it would cause him to get a few bruises. But this was way beyond anything he had imagined. He was really beginning to fear for his life. Ninja using jutsu on academy students was unheard of.

"Of course you have, you demon!" the ninja spat back, "Just because you play the fool doesn't mean you are innocent. I'll just kill you now and avenge my father." he laughed.

"You will be punished for murder. Jiji-Hokage will punish you." Naruto said trying to talk his way out of this situation. The ninja was getting more and more scary.

The ninja laughed. Naruto felt hair rising on his neck. He had a premonition that something life changing was about to happen.

"No, you little brat. I will be heralded as a hero for killing the demon. Even the Hokage wouldn't be able to go against the people. He is far too soft for that." The man sneered. "He may put me on suspension, but I will go down in history as a legend. In a few years my name will be taught in the academy." He laughed and launched another fire attack at Naruto, only this was larger and was visible above the trees. Naruto couldn't dodge properly and curled into a ball to protect himself. The hot attack burned his skin as he tried to scream. The pain he felt threatened to rob him of his mind. He couldn't even scream as the fire engulfed him. He curled tighter, reducing the part of his body exposed to the attack. His tormenter laughed as he shivered on the ground. He couldn't feel his hands anymore. He had used them to shield is head from the fire. He couldn't even move to glance at them. Every movement was like he was being pricked by a thousand white hot needles. His teacher didn't attack for a few more seconds, then he kicked Naruto into a tree on the other side.

"How can you become a legend by killing a kid like me?" Naruto asked, trying to buy time before he figured out what to do.

"Haven't you wondered why you are hated so much, demon?" the man laughed.

This made Naruto push back the pain and pay attention.

"Should I tell you?" He mocked. "I guess it is fitting that you should know before you die, even though it is against the special law that forbids you from ever knowing it."

Naruto raised his head and looked at his teacher. He had always wondered about that. Why did all the people hate him so much? Even before he had started playing pranks. In fact, he had started playing pranks so at least when the villagers would shout at him or glare at him, he would know why. Now his teacher was telling him that it was a secret and there was a law to stop people from telling him about it? Surely it couldn't be as bad as to make people wish for his death and celebrate his death. The ninja looked down at the boy and smiled a horrible smile.

"You are the Nine Tailed demon fox, you piece of shit."

Whatever Naruto had expected this wasn't it. "Huh-?" he said. His surprise even managed to dull the pain. "But, the Kyuubi is dead. The kyuubi was killed by the Fourth Hokage. Iruka-sensei taught it in class."

"No, you fool. He couldn't kill it, so he sealed it in human form. YOU!" the ninja laughed again. "The Third Hokage took pity on you and let you live. He may have forgiven you, but the rest of us haven't. Even your precious Iruka-sensei hates you. He was orphaned in the attack; before his very eyes, both his parents took injuries from you that killed them. He wound up alone because of you. He tries, but he cannot bring himself to forgive you. Like him, there are countless others who wish for your end. That is why you will never be accepted by anyone in this village. Your dream that you shout about all day, the one where you will become Hokage? It is never going to happen. All of the village hates you. You will never be Hokage. You should just die and leave this village in peace." He started making hand seals and started to move closer to Naruto."DIE DEMON!"

Naruto tried to crawl away, but he knew that he would not be able to get away this time. His mind was in shambles. Was the ninja telling the truth? If he was, it would explain the villager's treatment of him all his life, but he couldn't remember anything about attacking the village. He looked up right as the ninja was about to blow fire from his mouth and end Naruto's small existence. Try as he might, Naruto couldn't bring himself to close his eyes and wait for his end. A small voice in his mind said that it would be the act of a coward. Naruto stiffened. He may be a lot of things, but he was not a coward. Suddenly, his teacher's face jerked up as he was punched by an animal-masked ninja that appeared out of nowhere and the fire jutsu sailed into the night sky.

Surprised, Naruto saw that three more masked ninja drop down from the trees. One of then touched his teacher on the back of his neck and the chuunin dropped like a ton of bricks. Naruto watched in awe at the ease with which another masked ninja tied up the offender. All this happened in a span of 4 seconds. Naruto couldn't believe his eyes. These were ANBU, feared both inside and outside the village. These were the elite of even the elite. One of them turned towards him and started walking towards him. Naruto felt fear taking over again as he struggled to get away. The ANBU's hand was glowing a weird color of green. Naruto had never seen that before. The ANBU reached out his hand and Naruto flinched, but suddenly the pain in his neck seemed to lessen as it came in contact with the green hand. The ANBU moved from one injury to another. Naruto was busy looking at the healing process and missed the signals the other ANBU was passing each other.

'What's the next step?' the crane shaped mask ANBU signaled.

'Put prisoner in a cell, file report.' The leader signaled back.

'Priority?' bird asked.

The leader glanced at the pair by the tree where Sparrow was healing the boy. It wasn't required of her, she could have just transported him to the hospital, but she was a rookie and hadn't become as detached as was advised for ANBU. The boy looked like he would make a full recovery in a few days.

'Non-Urgent: level three.' He signaled to the crane.

'Non-Urgent? Confirm please. Hokage cares for the subject.' Crane offered back.

'Confirm. Disturbing the Third now is avoidable. But, inadvisable to delay later than 900hrs tomorrow.' The leader decided after thinking. He looked up to see sparrow return. He glanced over her shoulder and saw the child still lying under the tree. She nodded. The leader's eyes, hidden inside his mask, met the blue of the child as he cast a genjutsu for sleep. He watched the child's eyelids close. The leader signaled and the squad vanished together with their bound prisoner.

* * *

Naruto woke up an hour later. He felt uncomfortable. Then he realized he wasn't in his house. He smelled the dirt and slowly opened his eyes. An unusual scene met his eyes and reminded Naruto of the incident that had occurred little over an hour ago. Memories of the fight came back to him, along with what the teacher had told him. Naruto lay on the ground, thinking furiously. He felt the shakes return as sleep left his body. The full weight of what he had been told hit him. He was a demon. He had killed hundreds of this village's people, and for that he was hated. No one in this village would recognize him as a ninja. For a long time, all Naruto had wanted was to gain acceptance from the villagers. Now, he knew it was not possible. Sooner or later someone else would try to kill him, and might succeed. He was not strong enough to fight off ninja. Tears rolled off his face as Naruto lay in the dirt. Naruto closed his eyes as he came to a gut wrenching conclusion. He opened his eyes and said to himself, his voice shaking.

"I have to leave the village."

* * *

Naruto slowly made his way out of the woods. He was still feeling phantom pain from the burns. Between the kind ANBU and his fast healing, he had all but recovered. A night of rest would be enough for him to be back to a 100 percent. But it was not an option. He had to leave tonight. Even though the masked ninjas had taken the crazy ninja away, Naruto couldn't be sure he wouldn't be back in the academy tomorrow. Naruto would have to leave before dawn.

This line of thought brought a new dilemma to Naruto's mind. If he ran away, Hokage-jiji was sure to send someone after him. He knew that the people who ran away from their villages were killed. It was one of the few things he had paid attention to in the academy lessons. (He didn't realize that he wasn't a ninja yet, so couldn't be a nukenin.) To avoid any pursuers he would have to go far away, but he didn't have any money. He was given enough for food and groceries, but he had spent most of it. Even if he hadn't, Naruto was sure he would need a lot more than what he had. Naruto mused as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop.

Suddenly, Naruto realized that, in his thoughts, he had come back to his teacher's house, instead of going home. He was about to turn back when a thought struck him. He turned and watched his teacher's apartment. If he was running away, he couldn't get into any more trouble if he 'borrowed' some stuff from the hateful teacher. The window to the ninja's apartment was still open. It was splashed in the orange color from his trap. The sight of his teacher covered in orange, spluttering brought a small grin to his face. It went as quickly as it had come when he remembered what his teacher had told him. He had read (had been forced to read) about the Kyuubi's attack in the History books. Even he had been surprised at the devastation that the book had described. If he was the Kyuubi, he should have remembered doing something like that. Naruto was pretty sure that if he did what had been described in the books, he would remember it. His bastard of a teacher had told him that the Fourth had sealed the Kyuubi. He didn't know a lot about Sealing. All he knew was that it allowed the use of awesome things such as exploding tags and chakra activating triggers that he used. Maybe his memory had somehow got lost when the Fourth had sealed him. Naruto felt a growing sense of guilt towards the village. Even in his predicament, he felt for the poor villagers who had lost dear ones to him. Naruto would never know, even in the future, that it was this habit of his, putting others before himself, that brought him so many friends over the years.

Finally, after a few silent minutes, Naruto shook his head and cleared his mind. He needed to think fast. He jumped into the empty apartment and closed the window behind him. He didn't want any random ninja accidentally getting a look inside and see him.

Naruto turned and saw that the apartment was quite bigger than his own. In fact, the room he was standing in was bigger than his small living room-kitchen-dining room combined. He looked under the bed and was rewarded with a sturdy looking bag pack. It was standard Shinobi issue, to be used on missions. He opened it to see that it already contained quite a few supplies that he would need. He laid them all out on the floor. He let his eyes glide over the objects. He could see a small water bottle, a sleeping bag, a blanket, some rolls of ninja wire, a hare trap, a small pan, utensils and a compass. He still needed something to light a fire with. His teacher obviously didn't need one as he could just use small fire jutsus. He would also need money. For that, Naruto felt, he would have to look around.

Naruto began looking around in the bedside closet. He found what he was looking for in the bottom drawer, a battered purse that had seen better days. Naruto emptied its contents into Gama-chan. As he was putting back the purse, his eye fell on a little hole in the base of the drawer. Naruto recognized it for a finger hole to lift the false bottom in the drawer. He had one in his drawer as well. He kept his scrolls in there, the ones Hokage-Jiji had given him over the years. He felt sad over this as he wouldn't be going back to his apartment now. As soon as he got enough, he would leave. Naruto's eyes watered as he fought to keep tears at bay. He had promised himself when he was little that he wouldn't cry over small things. He lifted the contents of the drawer out of the wardrobe and removed the false bottom.

Inside were some more rolls of cash, a few scrolls and a loose paper. Naruto picked up the paper and turned it over. It seemed a sort of a quickly scribbled note. Naruto read its contents-

_I've managed to copy you a few jutsu scrolls. Remember, learn them and destroy them. If anyone found out that I copied forbidden jutsu, I'd find my ass handed to Ibiki sooner than you could say 'Hokage'._ _Maybe these will help you pass your jounin exams, Kami knows you've failed enough times._

_-Chizou_

Naruto looked at the scrolls neatly packed in the hidden space. These were super strong jutsus and from the looks of it, his teacher wasn't supposed to have them. Naruto thought deeply. Until now, he hadn't thought beyond running away. But now, he was forced to ponder on the future. Even after he ran away, he would have to get stronger to fend for himself. Naruto decided that he would take these scrolls and learn them later, when he managed to learn to use 'chatara' for jutsu. He picked them up and placed them with the other items on the floor. He decided that he would need a few other items such as kunai and shuriken as well. He spent the next ten minutes searching for the items.

Finally, after an hour, Naruto was ready. He slung the bag over his back and made his way to the window. A steel glint caught his eye. On a hook next to the window, hung a hitai-ate. Naruto had wanted one ever since he could remember. The shiny metal and the band was proof of being a village's ninja. It was an acknowledgement of the existence of the ones who wore it. His hands reached for the navy blue cloth. Just as he was about to take it off the hook on the wall, his teacher's face flashed in his mind. His hand stopped. Did he want the hitai-ate of the man who tried to kill him? No, Naruto decided. The man was not worthy enough for Naruto to wear his second hand hitai-ate. Naruto moved to the window, opened it and jumped out.

Naruto had thought about leaving a note for the Hokage. After the man had treated him with kindness all his life, Naruto felt bad leaving without a small goodbye and thank-you letter. He knew the Hokage-jiji would be surprised to see Naruto taking the trouble to write anything, but it was the least Naruto could do. But Naruto also knew that the Hokage's mansion was always surrounded by the masked ANBU. He may fool the lower level ninja like chuunin, but he couldn't yet get around the elite of the elite: The ANBU. He would be caught and then either thrown in a cell or brought in front of the Hokage-jiji. Either way, he would be unable to leave. So he decided to instead leave the note for the Hokage with the note for Iruka-sensei at the chuunin's house. He turned to the direction of the house of the kind teacher. Iruka-sensei had once made him carry test papers to his house as punishment for playing a prank in class. Later, he had treated Naruto to ramen for the very first time. Naruto still remembered the apartment, it was near Ichiraku Ramen.

Naruto reached the apartment and deposited the notes behind the potted plants that his teacher kept on his windows.

"Goodbye, Iruka-sensei." Naruto whispered as he jumped off again.

Naruto stealthily made his way to the great wall surrounding and protecting Konoha. It took Naruto some time to manage to climb the narrow spiral of stairs that was used by the repairmen or the non-ninja population of Konoha to climb to the top of the wall. It had become cloudy and the moon was completely hidden behind the grey clouds. Naruto ran on top of the wall towards the main gates. As he reached them, all he needed to do now was to jump from the wall to the trees outside. Naruto stopped in the shadows. He turned to look at his village one last time. His life here had not been a happy one. He had cried himself to sleep for so many times that he had lost count.

The cloud shifted for a bit and the moon shone briefly. Naruto's eyes went to the Hokage monument. Four faces stared back at him, their gaze unflinching. Naruto felt a little guilty as he looked at the faces of the great leaders of his village. Maybe it was a trick of the light or Naruto's own feelings, but their faces almost looked sad. Naruto couldn't help but feel that he had failed them. They had never run from their battles. Three of them had fought to their last breaths, and had never backed down. Tears threatened at his eyes. He had wanted to become like them. In the beginning, it had been his attempt to gain recognition, but later when he had been forced to read about them by Iruka-sensei, and told their stories by Hokage-jiji, he had wanted to become like them for different reasons. Now, he was running away, like a coward. His restraint broke as he started to sob. "I-I'm sorry." He wheezed between his sobs. No reply came "I'm not l-like you guys-ttebayo. I'm still a little kid. I'm not s-strong." He sniffed, tears overflowing his face. "I'm sorry, Dattebayo.", his shoulders sagged as he turned.

Lightning shone in the sky, illuminating the corner where Naruto had been standing, now empty. The following thunder made the Hokage grumble as he woke up. It started raining heavily. As another lightning flashed across the sky, the Hokage glanced out of his window at the Hokage monument as he rose to close his window and then stared. For the briefest of moments, it had seemed as if the face of the Fourth had been crying.

* * *

Naruto was exhausted and hurting. Running away had seemed like a good idea three days ago. Now, he was lost in an unknown land, hungry from not eating for two days. He had gotten wet in the heavy downpour the night he had left and was pretty sure that he was sick. Usually, a few hours of rest was all it took for him to get better. Maybe because he was a demon, he thought. Naruto sneezed. He hadn't had time to rest as he had been running nonstop to get out of the reach of the faster, elite tracker ninja. He was convinced that his head would burst. He could hardly keep his eyes open. He had run towards Earth country hoping that Konoha would not send its ninja into enemy territory to look for him. He had steered away from towns and villages after the last time he had run away to shake his pursuers off. The sun on his back made his throat parched. He stumbled and fell down, the weight of his rucksack almost crushing him. He didn't have the strength to pick himself up. For the first time since his flight from Konoha Naruto slept.

* * *

The pain in his head woke him up. He felt someone take his bag off his back. He tried to grab his bag when he heard a gentle voice as he was turned on his back.

"Don't worry; I am only trying to help you."

Naruto tried to open his eyes but the effort increased the pain, so he gave up after he managed to open them for a second. He saw a gentle face with long black hair. The last thing he heard was the person call out to someone.

"We should help him, Zabuza-sama."

Then he passed out.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

**For all the people who would like to point out that Naruto isn't the Kyuubi, I KNOW.. but Naruto doesn't. He still thinks that he is the tailed beast.**

**Remember, reviews motivate the author to work faster and better... so please review :-)  
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	2. Those He Left Behind

**Hey guys! Since I'd already written most of the first chapter when I posted the teaser, I managed to finish the second one sooner than I expected., so I'm posting it now. But the future updates will take at least 10-15 days from the previous update.  
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**I hope you guys like it...  
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**To all those guys who favorited this story and/or are following it : THANK YOU! ENJOY :-)  
**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Those he left behind**

The morning was bright and cheerful. The rain the night before had freshened everything up and had cooled down the weather. The smell of the wet soil and the flowers filled the air. In spite of this, the Hokage was feeling ill at ease. His night had not been restful.

After he had closed his windows and returned to his empty bed, his dreams had been plagued by visions of the crying stone face of his successor on the Hokage monument. During the dream the stone face turned into the Fourth's real face, crying. Then the dreamscape changed into the scene he had found in the aftermath of the Kyuubi's attack on that fateful night a decade ago.

He followed his dream-self into the scene that occasionally haunted his nightmares. After the barrier surrounding the area vanished and his dream-self rushed in, both Sarutobi had known what they would find. Still, his old current-self followed his ten years younger dream-self into the clearing. In the middle, lay three figures- a newborn baby and his dead parents. Hizuren fell to his knees as his dream-self rushed to the baby. Hizuren didn't need to watch what was happening. He remembered it all too well. The next few hours were burned into his mind for as long as he was alive.

_-flashback-_

_Hizuren reached the baby. The infant was crying, probably unnerved by the process of the sealing and the evil aura that hung in the air, even though the great beast was sealed._

_Hizuren's eyes watered as his eyes flicked to the body of his successor, bloody and bruised. His eyes shifted to Kushina. Both of them lay dead, their blood soaking the ground, flowing freely from the large wound in their torso. Kushina and Minato lay on either side of their child. It was obvious to him that the child was Minato and Kushina's. He had his mother's face, slightly round, and his father's hair and eyes. Blue eyes like the open sky, pure and kind. On his belly, drawn in his father's blood, superimposing the seal formed by the jutsu, was the seal that had sealed the greatest bijuu known to man. Both parents had one hand on their child and the other around their spouse. They looked so beautiful, despite all the blood and sweat. They looked like a family sleeping together. _

_Hizuren was surprised as his mask broke and he sobbed. Cruel fate had ripped this small family apart even before they had the chance to become one. His shoulders shook as he fought to control his feelings. He remembered how excited Minato had been to become a father, asking him for advice on many little things. He could see Kushina rubbing her belly lovingly as she crooned to the unborn baby. Back then, Hizuren had chuckled that the baby was going to be the most loved baby in the village, being the adored Hokage's son._

_Now, that future had been lost as the baby lay crying, next to his dead parents. Now, with all that love stolen away, the baby was all alone in this world, bearing on his small shoulders a burden so heavy that most grown ninja would run away from. He was all that stood between the demon and the village._

_Sarutobi created two shadow clones to pick up the fallen shinobi. He watched as his clones gently picked up their respective charges. He picked up the baby himself. He turned to the shinobi who had followed him and were standing a little distance behind him, giving him some space._

"_We are going back to the village. As soon as we reach it, find all the surviving members of the council and inform them that I am issuing summons for an emergency council meeting. They are to head to the tower immediately. Tell them nothing more. What we saw here is classified as Hokage-eyes-only." He commanded. All the shinobi nodded. Sarutobi continued._

"_I am taking the child and the bodies of the Fourth and his wife. I will take them to the Hokage tower. One of you head to the hospital and bring a nurse that they can spare. After that inform the Shinobi masses that the Kyuubi has been defeated and all able ninja are to start the stabilizing effort. Now, depart." He waved his hand to his side in a quick motion._

_All the shinobi yelled, "HAI!" and jumped off, kicking dust and leaves into the air as they left._

_-flashback end-_

Sarutobi returned to the present as he reached his office in the Hokage tower. His ANBU standing guard at the doors saluted him. He nodded to them as he walked inside. He went and sat behind his desk and sighed. He disliked days like these when he felt his age. He may be the Hokage, but he was also a weary old man. Ever since he had returned to office after Minato's death a decade ago, he had started to get tired easily. After the village had stabilized, a year later, Sarutobi had tried to find a replacement. He had sent messages to both his students and both had turned him down. He knew that Danzo would have jumped at the opportunity, but Sarutobi also knew that he wasn't an option. Nara Shikaku had said that he wasn't powerful enough and didn't portray the image of a fearsome leader and turned down the Hokage politely. Even Hizuren had to agree. Even if Minato had been easy going, he had been feared like none other in the ninja world, keeping future enemies in check. His only option was to remain in office as long as possible, until a worthy successor emerged. Hatake Kakashi was one to look out for, but he wasn't ready yet. Maybe in five-six years. He was currently serving in the ANBU, carrying on a long family tradition. Uchiha Itachi had also caught Hizuren's eye. The will of fire burned bright in the young man, but the sacrifice Itachi had made one and a half year ago had removed him from the equation. Before leaving, the young Uchiha had promised to protect the village from the outside.

Hizuren sighed.

If not for that incident, Itachi would have been ready to take up the mantle of the Hokage as the Sixth, by the time one of his replacement stepped down, preferably Jiraiya. He had long since given up on Tsunade. Also, Itachi being primed for Hokage would have pacified the Uchiha. Hizuren fought the feeling to sigh again as he sensed incoming ninja.

He looked up as the ANBU appeared in front of his desk and kneeled. Sarutobi's eyes narrowed and his heart skipped a beat as he recognized the ANBU. He was the one that delivered ANBU Level-3 reports. Maybe his instincts had been right. He held out his hand to receive the scroll. He unrolled it with trepidation. His eyes widened as he read the report. He looked up from the scroll to the kneeling ANBU.

"Summon Dog and his team." He ordered. The prostrate ANBU nodded. "Also, I want an update on the prisoner. If he is awake, hand him over to Ibiki-kun. Tell him I want complete details of what happened."

The ANBU saluted and vanished in a blur. Sarutobi pressed the buzzer on his desk. In a few seconds, his assistant walked in. She bowed in greeting and awaited her orders after straightening.

"Call the Jounin in charge of the Academy, Ichizou Chizou to my office immediately." He ordered.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." The assistant turned and walked out to carry out the orders.

Hizuren leaned back into his chair as he waited for his orders to be carried out. Ichizou would have to be told as this affected the academy. The prisoner was not likely to return to the academy for the foreseeable future. Sarutobi would talk to Naruto before the sentencing. Either way, he was going to jail for a few years at the least, for using a deadly jutsu on a civilian. If he remembered correctly, Ichizou and the prisoner used to be on the same genin team. Maybe he would have an insight into the behavior of the other man.

Sarutobi closed his eyes and hoped Naruto wasn't too traumatized by the attempt on his life. Things were getting out of hand. Naruto wasn't safe alone. Hizuren decided that he would take the boy into his home as he had originally wanted. His mind wandered to the council meeting a decade ago Naruto's fate had been decided.

-_flashback-_

_Hizuren waited in the meeting room as the council members filtered in slowly. They bowed to him and looked around, probably searching for Minato. Most of them looked untouched by the battle that had taken place. Only the head of the Hyuuga, Inuzuka, Uchiha and Akimichi looked like they had been part of the battle. But then, Aburame rarely looked anything other than clean and calm. Hizuren was searching for his dear friend, the head of the Nara house when his eyes fell on a black ponytail. Black, not grey as he had been looking for. Sitting in the seat of the Nara clan instead of his father, was Nara Shikaku. The young man had a long gash from his forehead to the side of his face, barely stitched up. His presence in the meeting could only mean one thing: His father, Nara Shikaimon, had fallen. Their eyes met and Hizuren passed a silent message of condolence that the young man accepted. The doors opened again as his old teammates and Danzo entered. Sarutobi saw that Danzo noticed the absence of the Fourth and slightly straightened, realizing what it meant. His right hand was in a sling, wrapped with fresh, bloody bandages. It seemed he too, had fought, unlike the other two._

_As soon as everyone sat down in their seats, Sarutobi cleared his throat as he stood. Instantly, the room fell silent. Sarutobi began to speak._

"_As all of you know, our village was attacked this night by the Kyuubi. The demon wreaked great havoc and a lot of lives have been lost, both civilian and shinobi."_

_The members of the council all nodded solemnly._

"_But the danger has now passed, the Kyuubi was defeated by the Fourth-" Sarutobi was speaking when murmurs broke out in the council. Inuzuka Shiga asked," Where is the Fourth? Is he trying to make a fur coat out of the fox?" He joked. A few members laughed at this._

_Sarutobi raised a hand. The room fell silent_ _again._

"_As I was saying, the Kyuubi was defeated by the Fourth, at the cost of his and his wife's lives." Sarutobi looked at the council somberly. Those who hadn't guessed this already, gasped. The Inuzuka clan head hung his head shame-faced. The Aburame clan head asked after a few seconds._

"_How did it happen? I did not know that the tailed beasts could be killed. Did the fourth teleport the demon far away?" _

_Other members looked at the Aburame and then at the Third._

"_You are right. Bijuu can't be killed by humans. The Fourth used a sealing jutsu called the 'Shiki Fuiin'. The jutsu summoned the Shinigami, who in exchange for the Fourth's soul, sealed the Kyuubi into a baby." Sarutobi recalled what Minato had told him about the jutsu some time ago. Danzo asked a question that the Third had not anticipated._

"_Who is this baby?" The old war hawk's eyes narrowed. Sarutobi could see that Danzo was already trying to make plans to use the child as a weapon. In this moment, Sarutobi made a decision that he would come to regret later._

"_I do not know." He responded. "When I found him, he was on the ceremonial throne used in 'Hakke Fuiin' with the seal drawn on him by the Fourth._

"_What of the Kyuubi? Is it no more?" Homura asked._

_Sarutobi sighed as he shook his head. "No, it still exists, only it is now sealed inside the boy. From what I remember the Fourth telling me, the demon's life is now tied to the child's."_

"_What is to be done with it?" Koharu asked._

"_It?" Sarutobi asked, " I don't understand."_

"_I meant the demon child." Koharu replied. "If he houses the demon, he should be imprisoned, or killed so that he can never release the beast on Konoha again." Some others nodded in agreement._

_Sarutobi stared at his old teammate. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could they even consider killing a little baby who was the savior of their village? He was about to ask them this when he received help from an unexpected corner._

"_No." Danzo said, his tone carrying a tone of finality._

_Sarutobi and the others stared at the old man. The council because they were surprised by Danzo's command, for it couldn't be thought of as anything other than one. Not even the Hokage ever commanded the council, even though he could. Sandaime always talked and reasoned. Hizuren was surprised because Danzo never agreed with him._

"_The baby is a great weapon. We cannot waste it away. As long as it is used correctly, the other nations will not dare to go against Konoha." Danzo continued. Sarutobi sighed. Of course, Danzo didn't care about the boy, but only about the weapon he had the potential to become. Koharu and Homura thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement. Sarutobi shook his head._

"_He is not a weapon, Shimura. He is a child of this village." He countered._

"_Then it is his duty to protect his village." Danzo replied unfazed._

_Sarutobi and Danzo entered a staring match. They were interrupted by a slow drawl saying, " He is still a baby now. We can always decide this idea later on. What we need to decide right now is where will the child be raised." _

_Everyone turned to see the young new head of the Nara clan speaking. Sarutobi and Danzo nodded. Koharu asked._

"_Can we find out who the child is?" _

_Hizuren thought about his options. He could come clean or lie again. He decided to lie by omission. "Before Kushina died, she had informed me that the child's name was going to be Naruto. So I guess his name is Uzumaki Naruto." _

_He noticed the slight widening of the eyes of Nara Shikaku before his face became impassive. No one else caught this. Sarutobi cursed inwardly as he realized that Minato had been friends with the Nara and had most likely told him about the name chosen for his child. He waited for Shikaku to voice some questions. None came. Danzo, however, did have questions. _

"_Uzumaki? The clan from the land of Whirlpool? Isn't that the clan from which the Fourth's wife hailed?" He asked._

_Sarutobi was thinking on how to answer without cornering himself when Shikaku spoke._

"_I believe the fourth told me that a very distant relative of his wife had arrived to get medical help. She herself was about to give birth. Maybe the boy is her child." The Nara clan Head lied smoothly. Sarutobi glanced towards the son of his friend and smiled. Shikaku had subtly informed him that he stood by the Hokage. He had provided Sarutobi with a way out, and he himself had never said anything concrete, just vague assumptions which could be taken for mistakes later, when and if Naruto's true parentage had to be revealed._

"_Is that so?" Sarutobi acted his part. "I believe that settles your query Danzo. Now, I think this meeting is over. I need to go and make arrangements for the child. "_

"_What arrangements, if I may ask Hokage-sama?" the Hyuuga clan head asked._

_Others looked at the Hokage expectantly._

"_I am planning to take the child into my home and raise him." Sarutobi answered._

_Danzo frowned at this. "I don't think that is a good idea. The Hokage taking in the demon child will cause an uproar among the shinobi."_

_For the next half an hour, Sarutobi argued with the council over this. But in the end he gave in to the popular demand. At this juncture, Shikaku offered to take the child in._

"_As all of you know, the Nara clan grounds are in remote location of Konoha. Far enough from the center of the village should anything go wrong. I have also just become a father a month ago. I can easily take him into my home. My wife will welcome him with open arms and my child would have some company."_

_The Uchiha clan head disagreed at this point._

"_No, I cannot allow another clan to gain the power of the Kyuubi. If he grows in your clan, he will become loyal to your clan like your other clan members."_

_This started another discussion with the other clans also disagreeing to allow any other clan the power of the Kyuubi. Sarutobi tried to explain that the child was not a weapon, but a defenseless child. In the heat of the discussion, however, his voice fell on deaf ears. _

_Danzo finally suggested that the child be brought up independently like other orphans._

_Sarutobi finally agreed and the meeting ended._

_-flashback end-_

Sarutobi sighed as he remembered. He was definitely not in a good frame of mind today. The visions in his nightmares had disturbed him greatly. He was still trying to break out of the slump he was in when the ANBU he had summoned arrived.

Sarutobi looked at the captain of the squad, the ANBU wearing the Dog mask, tell-tale silver hair visible over the porcelain mask. All four ANBU kneeled, the captain a few steps in front of his squad.

"I read your report, but it didn't have anything on the current condition of Naruto-kun." Sarutobi said as he took a puff from his wooden pipe. The ANBU captain nodded as he understood what his leader wanted to know and began in a non-descript voice used by most ANBU.

"After we apprehended the ninja, Sparrow healed most of the major wounds that needed attention and gave the boy a sedative so that he would sleep until the morning. I put him under a sleep genjutsu as well." Dog finished his report. Sarutobi gave a short nod of appreciation to the voilet haired rookie.

"And-?" Sarutobi prompted.

"That is all, Sandaime-sama." Dog replied.

"I mean to ask, did you transfer him to the hospital or his house?" the Hokage clarified his query.

"Neither, Sandaime-sama. As I said, we gave him a sedative to let him sleep." Dog answered.

Sarutobi gave the ANBU a slightly incredulous look.

"Are you trying to tell me that you left an injured ten-year old unconscious, right next to the Forest of death?" he asked slowly.

Any inferior ninja would have fidgeted, but Dog remained impassive, displaying the infamous ANBU control. However, he did take a few moments to reply in an affirmative. Then he turned slightly to his squad and flashed a few quick signals to the Crane masked ANBU. Crane nodded and left in a blur.

Sarutobi resisted the impulse to pinch the bridge of his nose. Sometimes, even the geniuses acted like fools. He hoped that Crane would find a safe and peacefully sleeping Naruto. Sarutobi moved on to the second thing he had wanted to ask the ANBU.

"Your report didn't mention anything about whether the prisoner had mentioned the forbidden knowledge to Naruto-kun." The Hokage asked slowly. The ANBU stayed silent for some time, trying to recall something useful.

"I do not know, Hokage-sama." He said finally. "Although I did hear the prisoner call the boy 'demon', but-" the ANBU left the rest of his sentence unsaid.

Sarutobi understood what his ANBU had been about to say- 'but the boy is called a demon normally, too.' Sarutobi felt saddened, because in his heart he knew, that it was his leniency over the years that had led to this incident. If he had dealt with the prior, smaller instances of violence against Naruto with a strong hand, this incident would not have come to pass. He had let his compassion for those who had lost at the hands of the Kyuubi cloud his judgment. Sarutobi straightened as he came to a decision. No more. It had been enough time for the village to get over their loss. When Crane came back with Naruto, he would have Naruto's belongings moved to his mansion and he would tell Naruto that the boy was going to live with the Hokage from now on.

The Dog ANBU noticed the hardening of the features of the Hokage. He could guess what the old man was thinking about. He stayed silent in his spot until he saw the Hokage gesturing him to come stand by his side as the old man walked over to the large window that gave a view of the village. He stood and walked over to Sarutobi. Sarutobi started to speak softly.

"I think that it is not safe for Naruto-kun to live alone anymore. Even if he doesn't show it, he is greatly affected by these incidents. This time, he could have died. It must have been a very traumatizing experience. He needs to be able to feel safe. He needs to be with someone who cares for him." Sarutobi spoke as he gazed over his village.

The ANBU hoped the Hokage wasn't going where he thought the Hokage was going with this. He spoke softly, but without using the neutral 'ANBU voice'.

"I know that I wanted to take him into my house back then, but now that I am in the ANBU, it is not advisable. It is not that I don't want him, but I don't go back to my house anymore, Sandaime-sama. I have taken up a room in the ANBU lodgings, inside the headquarters." He managed to speak out before the Hokage chuckled.

"You misunderstand me, Kakashi-kun. I mean to take him in myself. I am just asking your opinion on whether I should bother informing the others or not." The old man continued to chuckle.

The ANBU stared at Sarutobi for a while before he said, "The council will not like this." He offered.

The old man gave him a mischievous smile. "I know. However, this time I do not intent to entertain their protests."

"Then I believe whether you tell them or not, does not matter." The ANBU said, with a hint of a smile in his voice.

Sarutobi smiled. The Hokage and the ANBU stood silently for a while, looking out of the window, until Sarutobi asked "What of the prisoner?"

The ANBU returned to his 'ANBU voice' and reported, "He was handed over to the T and I department's Ibiki as per your orders. I expect Ibiki will have a report within the hour." Dog had just finished speaking when Crane returned.

Sarutobi frowned as he saw that Crane was alone. "Why didn't you bring Naruto-kun with you?" he asked his shinobi.

The crane masked ANBU bowed his head and answered, " I am sorry, Sandaime-sama, but I was unable to find Uzumaki Naruto."

The Hokage and Dog both looked down at Crane as Sarutobi asked "What do you mean you were unable to find him? Was he not there?"

"I am afraid so, Hokage-sama. When I reached the area, he was no longer there." He paused for a second and then started again, only slower. "I assumed that he might have woken up and gone home, but when I went to his apartment, I found it locked." He looked up to see that the Hokage had started to frown at the information. He continued. "The bed did not look slept in, Sandaime-sama. I did not know where else he could be, so I returned for further instructions." Crane finished.

Sarutobi's heart had started beating faster halfway into the report. The image of the crying stone face of the Yondaime flashed in his mind. He saw the squad captain stiffen. He threw his fears to the back of his mind as he ordered his ANBU captain.

"Take three more squads and begin searching immediately. Start in the Forest of death. Return with any news you find."

All the ANBU nodded and disappeared in blurs. Sarutobi closed his eyes and prayed for the safety of the boy.

Meanwhile, Umino Iruka was hurrying over to the Hokage tower. He had woken up late in the morning, making good use of his vacation. After finishing his morning routine, he had gone to water his plants when he saw the envelopes. He had recognized the handwriting on the envelope as that of the little prankster, Naruto. At first he had believed it to be a prank and had used every trap scanning technique known to him. Finally satisfied, he had opened the letter. What he had found was a goodbye letter-

_To,_

_ Iruka sensei_

_I am sorry for all the trouble I gave you so many times, sensei. I now know that I am the Kyuubi that killed your parents. I am sorry for all the pain I caused you. You are the one of the few people other than the Hokage-jiji that was kind to me, even though I took away your family and made you lonely, like I am. I know that being lonely really hurts. So, I am sorry. I can't stay here, somebody might kill me. I am going away so that I will not cause any more pain to the other people whose family I killed, even though I don't remember it._

_I am taking some stuff from this bad guy's place. I will send you the money later when I get some. Tell him that Uzumaki Naruto is not a thief, I am just borrowing the stuff._

_I will always remember all the times you treated me to ramen. Those are my happiest memories. _

_-Uzumaki Naruto_

_ Ninja academy, 2__nd__ year _

_P.s- I couldn't go to the tower, so if it is not much trouble, could you give jiji the second envelope?_

Iruka stared at the letter dumbfounded. Naruto knew about the demon? Or the way it looked like, he thought he was the demon. He re-read the letter. Naruto was leaving the village? Iruka suddenly leapt out of his window and started to run towards the tower as fast as he could.

Sarutobi was sitting in his office, trying not to imagine the worst case scenario when his secretary entered with Ichizou Chizou behind her. She bowed and left. Ichizou walked up to the desk and greeted his Hokage.

"Good morning, Hokage-sama. You called?"

"Yes, Ichizou-kun. I am afraid I have something to discuss with you. It's about your genin teammate, the one who teaches at the academy."

Ichizou stiffened a little. He wondered if they had found out the copies of the forbidden jutsus. He hoped that his friend had the sense to burn his note at least.

"What is it, Hokage-sama?" He asked, bracing himself.

"He has been arrested for the attempted murder of a civilian." Sarutobi replied, taking a puff from his pipe.

Ichizou was surprised. His friend had tried to kill a civilian?

"Was it a drunken brawl, Hokage-sama? He never could hold his liquor. I'm sure he is sorry for his actions." Ichizou tried to make a case for his friend.

"I am afraid it is more serious than that, Ichizou-kun. He tried to kill a civilian while in full control of his faculties. " Hokage informed the jounin somberly.

"Who did he try to kill, Hokage-sama?" asked Ichizou, trying to wonder why would his friend try to kill an civilian on purpose.

"His student, Uzumaki Naruto." Sarutobi replied as he took a closer look to watch for any body language change. He was not disappointed. On hearing the name, Ichizou visibly relaxed and his eyes took on a cold look as he sneered.

"The demon brat." He spat.

"Yes, Naruto-kun." The Hokage said dangerously. The fact that Naruto was missing had already got the Hokage riled up. This open mention of the boy as a demon worked to further infuriate the old ninja.

"But then-" Ichizou tried to begin but the Hokage cut him off.

"But what, Ichizou? Are you trying to say that because it was Naruto-kun, it is all right?" Sarutobi asked, his voice heavy with fury.

The jounin seemed to understand the position he was in and tried to think of a suitable reply when another teacher from the academy, Iruka, if his memory served him right, jumped in from the window. It was obvious that the young man was harried about something. He had probably heard about his co-worker and had come to protest.

The Hokage turned to see a very agitated Iruka stand up and hurry towards him.

"I am sorry for the sudden intrusion, Hokage-sama, but I think you need to see this." Iruka handed over the open letter to the Hokage. Sarutobi took the extended paper and started to read it. His eyes widened as he read the piece of paper. Then he took the sealed envelope from the chuunin and tore it open. He found a similar letter addressed to him-

_To,_

_ Old Man Hokage,_

_I am sorry for all the trouble I caused you for a long time. I know that I am the Kyuubi that killed all those people many years ago. I also know that you took pity on me back then and let me live. I am very thankful for that. I am also very thankful for all the times you got me out of trouble and didn't punish me. I know that you must also hate me for the people I have killed, but I am thankful for all the times you were kind to me. For me, you are the family I never had, like a kind old grandpa who loves his grandson very much. Your kindness was enough for me to want to live. I am going to go away. I am sorry for running away, but I am scared that you will not be able to stop everyone who tries to kill me. Someone might succeed. I know that those who abandon their village have to be chased and killed. I will not be sad if you send people after me to kill me, because I know that it is the law. _

_I will always remember the stories you told me about all the other three great Hokage. I will always try to become someone you could be proud of, like them._

_-Uzumaki Naruto_

_p.s- I think you should know something. It's in the envelope._

The Hokage picked up his envelope again and saw another piece of paper in it. He was about to take it out when the door opened and Morino Ibiki walked in, holding a file.

Ichizou looked at the T&I vice-captain and gave him a nod, which the man returned. Sarutobi held up a hand for Ibiki to wait as he took out the second piece of paper and read it. Then he motioned Ibiki to come closer and read it, which the bandana wearing man did. Sarutobi turned to Ichizou and said as he passed him the paper, "Looks like you were right about not being able to say 'Hokage', Ichizou-kun."

Ichizou paled as he saw his note he had written to his friend. He felt a hand on his shoulder to see Ibiki smiling at him. He was about to make a run for it when his world went blank.

As soon as Ibiki left with the unconscious man over his shoulder, the Hokage called out.

"Boar."

Immediately, a boar masked ANBU appeared in front of the old man.

"Assemble all available ANBU. Recall the teams searching in the Forest of death. Call Nara Shikaku to my office immediately." Sarutobi ordered brusquely.

The ANBU nodded and disappeared.

Sarutobi turned to see Iruka reading the letter Naruto had given for the Hokage. Iruka looked up with fear in his eyes.

"Are you really going to send Hunter nin after him, Hokage-sama? He is just a child." He asked, his voice dangerously close to breaking. Sarutobi shook his head and replied.

"No, Iruka-kun. Naruto is not a ninja, so he cannot be pursued as a nukenin. Even if he was, I don't think we have the right to send out hunter nins, after knowing the reason for his flight. "

Iruka noticed the Hokage's eyes seemed moist as he looked out of the window, onto the village.

"I failed him, Iruka-kun. A boy his age, forced to flee for fear of his life, from my villagers. I have failed him." The Hokage spoke, his voice gravelly.

"We all have, Hokage-sama." Iruka cut in, he too on the verge of tears. "I thought that treating him to ramen once in a while was enough. I should have paid more attention to his loneliness. I knew that the others hated him. Maybe if I had-"

"Don't blame yourself, Iruka-kun. You did not have any control of the situation, but I, as Hokage, have no excuse. I could have overruled the council any time I wanted, but I let my compassion for the villagers blind me to the injustices faced by Naruto. It is me who failed to protect him." Sarutobi said as he gazed to the Hokage monument. Then he said more to himself than to anyone else.

"I wonder if you will forgive me, Yondaime." He sighed as the door opened and Nara Shikaku walked in. Sarutobi pointed to the file Ibiki had left and the letters on his desk. Shikaku sensed the atmosphere and quietly picked up the file.

Sarutobi watched as Shikaku's eyes narrowed as he read the report. Shikaku then picked up the letters and read them, his eyes widened as he finished. He turned to see Sarutobi looking at him with pain in his eyes. The Jounin commander asked, "What now, Hokage-sama?"

"Assemble every available tracking unit. Jounin to genin. I will address them on the roof in thirty minutes."

Shikaku nodded and then added, "I'll call other chuunin too, to provide support for the genin teams."

Shikaku bowed and made his way out.

* * *

It was evident to the villagers that something was going on. Every few minutes or so, groups of shinobi were jumping from rooftop to rooftop, rushing towards the Hokage tower. Many villagers stopped to watch as even the genin teams raced down the streets towards the tower. The retired ninja also noticed the sheer number of Mission birds circling the village, screeching summons to different shinobi in different tunes.

Hence. It was no surprise to most of the council when summons for a council meeting came.

Danzo was the last to enter the meeting room as he had been waiting for the ROOT ninja he had deployed to find out the cause of the disturbance. However, none of his agents had managed to find out what was the reason for the tracking teams being called in. So, he had finally been forced to go to the meeting as in the dark as the others. As soon as he entered the room, he saw that Hizuren was in a bad mood. He looked like the man that the ninja world had come to fear as the 'Professor'. _How long has it been since I saw such fire in his eyes?_ Danzo thought as he walked to his seat in the corner. _It would not be wise to go against Hizuren today,_ he thought. He sat down and slid back into the shadows.

Sarutobi was angry. It was this room full of people who had been responsible for the pain Naruto had felt growing up. Only this room's occupants had initially known about Naruto's status as the Demon's jailer, but within a week, most of Konoha had known. He had been angry then, but had let it pass as the event had already occurred. Some faces had changed from back then as the heads of the Aburame, Inuzuka, Hyuuga, Akimichi, Yamanaka had changed. However, the politics remained the same.

He went and took the high seat he used when he was presiding over council meetings. A hush fell over as he sat down. No one managed to muster the courage to be the first one to say anything. It was obvious to all that the Hokage was furious. It was a rare occurrence, and hence unpredictable. Finally, Sarutobi began.

"As most of you know, shinobi are being mobilized on a big scale. This meeting has been called to let you know why."

Most of the clan heads noted the choice of words. The message was clear; This meeting was not a discussion, only a briefing. The civilian members failed to notice.

"Last night," Sarutobi continued, " an attempt was made on Uzumaki Naruto's life by one of our own."

This caused a lot of chatter among the council. Save a few, most didn't bother hiding their scorn at the mention of the name. Their mistake. Sarutobi's eyes glinted dangerously as he barked," You have something to say, Yamatarou?"

The man jumped at the tone and mumbled an apology.

Homura asked, "Who was it?"

"An academy teacher who was the victim of a small prank." Sarutobi answered.

"So he was provoked." Said a civilian member. The man wilted under the gaze Sarutobi sent his way.

"I have been pranked on more number of times than anyone in this room, but I do not remember unleashing fire jutsu on the boy from a distance of five meters." Sarutobi growled. He was getting more and more angry as he saw the council trying to make excuses. To let their prejudice justify an attempted murder was a new low, even for them. Nara Shikaku saw the Hokage reaching his boiling point, but unlike usually, he did not interfere.

"What is to be his punishment?" Koharu asked. She was also observing this unusual fury in the Hokage. "I propose a dismissal from duty and a three year jail term."

Sarutobi looked at his former teammate and smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes. "Do not worry Utatane, this meeting is not his hearing. His punishment has been decided. He not only tried to kill Naruto-kun, but also told him about the Kyuubi."

Many council members had shock etched on their faces. The Hokage continued.

"He will be executed tomorrow morning."

An uproar broke out at this announcement, but the Hokage roared, "SILENCE!"

The entire room fell silent as they stared at the Hokage. Never, in their collective memories, had the Hokage ever raised his voice in a council meeting.

One young civilian member foolishly tried to argue, "But Hokage-sama, Execution for attempted murder is too extreme. We cannot allow-"

"You cannot allow?" The Hokage interrupted. "YOU CANNOT ALLOW?" He roared and the man flinched. The Hokage stood up from his seat "It seems you all have forgotten your places. It is not you, who allow me anything. It is I who allows you everything. _I_ allow you to sit in that seat." Sarutobi started to walk towards the shaking councilor. "_I_ allow you to talk to me with an impudence that would have you tortured and killed in Kumo or Iwa." Sarutobi gestured with his hand and instantly, a more than a dozen ANBU and the three ANBU generals appeared out of nowhere, surrounding the Council seats. "In fact, I allow you to live, you pompous piece of trash." Sarutobi spat at the man who was now as white as Hokage's robes. All the other council members were shaken as well. The presence of the ANBU was also a bit unnerving.

"Do not forget," Sarutobi said softly as he looked around the room, "I founded the council system to try and address some issues using your views as well. Konoha is a shinobi village. It is not necessary to have a council such as this. It seems that my leniency over the years has allowed you fools to develop an inflated sense of importance." The entire council was so silent that even the rustling of the Hokage's robes was audible. Everyone waited with bated breath as the Hokage made a hand gesture to the ANBU. As one, all the ANBU disappeared. The Hokage passed a hard eye over the entire council.

"As of this moment, the Council is barred from any shinobi decisions. If in the future, I think the council is needed, I may revoke this command. But until then, the council will only deal with civilian matters." Sarutobi spoke softly, but his voice carried perfectly to everyone in the room.

"I am sending out every available shinobi with tracking abilities to find and bring back Uzumaki Naruto. Once he is back, I will be taking him into my house and protection. Any attack against the boy will be considered as an attack on my family and will be dealt as such. The last time it took you lot a week to spread the details of a confidential meeting. This time I want you to do it by the time Naruto-kun gets back. All of you might want to pray for his safe return, for your futures are closely linked with his." Sarutobi spat at the room and left.

* * *

**Kakashi in ANBU :-)  
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**10 points to anyone who correctly guesses the identity of sparrow. Only one chance :-)  
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**It has always been my opinion that Sarutobi should have been more strict with the council, like Tsunade was with them during Pein's attack.  
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**PLEASE REVIEW :-)**


	3. The Chase Begins

**Hey Guys! I'm back with an update. First of all, I would like to say a prayer for all the people affected by the Hurricane Sandy in the US. Be safe and Have courage.****  
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**I'm uploading the third chapter. Please enjoy!  
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**I was so amazed by the number of reviews I got. It was the first time I got so many. All of you made me a very happy author. :-) Thank You. I normally respond via reply but this time there were so many that I'm replying here, before the story. Although I am sad to say no one got the name of Sparrow right. I hoped the Violet hair might have been a int. The Answer is TADA: Uzuki Yuugao.  
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**So now, on with my replies to all of you who took the time to review.  
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**Simgr101: Thank you. Your words mean a lot. I am trying really hard to write a good story, something that is ****, non repetetive. ** Your encouragement makes me want to work hard. I have wondered a lot of times why Sarutobi put up with the council at all. As far as Nagato and Obito are concerned, I haven't thought that far yet, so I can't say anything.  


**Darkhuntressxir: Heh heh, I know, right?  
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**Darkryus:  Unfortunately, no. Thank you for trying though.  
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**Knoteach:  I agree with you. When I think of villages like sound, Iwa and Mist, I think the council is pretty lucky to have even a minor role. Sarutobi should just have disbanded the council long ago.  
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**Cloudy Momochi, fanficreader71, Freedomsglowing hand: Thank You. I hope you keep liking my story.  
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**pmiranda13: Thank you. The Hokage face was an inspiration that came when I was trying to imagine the hokage monument in the rain.  
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**fco ala: Unfortunately No. I find it a bit ironic that your profile picture is of the right answer, i.e Yuugao.  
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**TigrezzTail, Shadow Kross: Thank you. Sarutobi will take a stronger stance throughout my story. We will get to see him not allowing any crap from anyone. And about Kakashi, well in the series we can see many times that when it comes to non combat situations, he isn't very smart. I mean anyone could see that Naruto needed more attention than the others on team 7 as his basics weren't as strong in canon. Yet he kept focussing on Sasuke. Imagine if Naruto got similar attention as Lee gets from Guy, what a powerful ninja he could have become. The tragedy with Naruto has been that until Jiraiya, he never got proper attention and even then, Jiraiya must have been doing research for a lot of the time he was with Naruto.  
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**Shadow The Ranger: Thank you for your support.  
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**Maybe2Morrow: Well good for you that I'll spend ample time on Naruto's growth as a ninja. :-)  
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**Well then, let's get on with it then... Enjoy!  
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* * *

**Chapter 3: The Chase Begins**

The ninja academy used many different ways to teach the younger generations. Some of the lessons were taught in the class, some were more practical based and were taught outside. Today, the ninja academy 2nd year students had their practical class. They were waiting for their instructor on the mountain behind the village. From their spot they had a clear view of the village. The sudden increase in shinobi movement had not gone unnoticed by some. A black haired boy wearing a large coat and sunglasses spoke to no one in particular.

"It seems some event is afoot."

Most of the children around him paid no attention to his observation, but a raven haired boy with mismatched lengths of eyebrows, courtesy of a certain blonde's explosive notes, looked at him. It had been what the boy had been thinking. He looked back at the figures of ninja making their way towards the Hokage tower.

"A lot of ninja are going to the Hokage tower." He agreed with the sunglasses boy. Many girls giggled at hearing the boy speak. Sasuke didn't bother hiding his disgust as he shook his head. A blonde girl used this chance to enter into a conversation with her crush.

"Yeah! My dad is on the council and he was summoned too, when I was leaving for the academy. Meetings aren't called this early unless something big happens." She said smiling sweetly.

Sasuke weighed his options. To acknowledge the girl as a part of the conversation would only be inviting problems, but he was curious and the girl seemed to know something. He finally turned to the girl and asked, "So, do you know what's going on?"

The girl almost screamed in happiness, but she shook her head as she replied, "No, I left soon after he left." Ino was about to speak further but Sasuke turned away and went to talk to the sunglasses boy, his name was Shino, if she remembered correctly. She frowned and went to join the boys. Sasuke frowned as he sensed the girl following him. He had been afraid of this. Now, the girl would stick to him.

"But my friend might know." Ino said as she reached them. This made Sasuke and Shino turn to her with raised eyebrows. Ino felt encouraged and she turned and screamed at her friend who was lying on the grass, under a tree.

"OYE SHIKAMARU! GET YOUR ASS HERE!" Shino and Sasuke shared a look and moved a little away from the loud girl. The ponytailed boy sighed and got up. If he hadn't, he knew the girl would have stomped up to him and disturbed him anyways. To add to his woes, she would have ranted on for quite some time. It was better to fulfill her wishes and then return to his cloud gazing.

"What? It is too troublesome to have you yelling at me like that." Shikamaru arrived with his friend, the Akimichi in tow.

"What do you know about all this?" Ino waved her hand towards the village. Shikamaru sighed as he understood what she was asking. He turned to the boys and moved towards them, to look over the railings at the village.

"It has been really busy from the morning. My dad was walking with me and Chouji to the academy when those white masked ninja came and whispered something to him. He said he had to go and jumped up and went to the Tower. When we were entering the academy, I saw him coming back. He did not look happy. In fact he was frowning, and let me tell you, my dad never frowns. The worst I have seen him is him narrowing his eyes and look bored." Shikamaru said as the others hung on to his words. Shino nodded and added his opinion.

"That means whatever is happening is very serious."

"Do you think there is a war?" a new voice asked. They turned to see a pink haired girl had come up to the group and was standing next to Ino. Ino put an arm around her and introduced her.

"This is my friend, Sakura."

The boys gave her a nod as she blushed, looking at Sasuke.

"I think that is highly improbable." Shino answered the girl's question. "A war is usually preceded by a tense environment for some time period. We have not heard of any such thing in the past few days."

Sasuke nodded and added, "If it was war, they would also make an announcement to the civilians and there would be an increase in the village defense."

Another boy walked up to them, with a white dog resting on his head. "What are you guys talking about?" He asked.

"Were just trying to guess what is up with the village today." Chouji replied between bites.

"Yeah, I was wondering about that. Almost all Inuzuka clan ninja have been called. Even the Genins. Also, the dogs whose partners aren't available have been called anyways." Kiba said.

The others digested this new information. Shino glanced down to the village.

"I also saw many of my clan members going to the tower." He said.

"Ano- many Hyuuga branch family members have also been summoned. Even those who are not officially registered as Konoha ninja." A voice came from behind the tree near them. The children turned to see the young Hyuuga heiress peeking from behind the tree. Ino signaled the girl to join them and the girl slowly made her way to the group.

Shikamaru sighed as he looked up at the clouds. "I think I know what is happening." He said slowly, thinking.

"What?" Sasuke asked. Even the girls looked at him.

"It seems they are going to search for someone or something." Shino answered. Shikamaru nodded.

"How can you say so?" Sakura asked.

"They are calling Hyuuga, Aburame and Inuzuka clans. Even those who are on leave. These clans are usually part of Tracking units." Shikamaru answered the girl.

"Is someone dangerous on the loose?" Ino asked. Sakura looked a little scared at the thought. Sasuke's thoughts went to the man who had killed his clan. His eyes narrowed.

"I don't think so." Shikamaru shook his head.

"Why?" the Hyuuga heiress asked.

Shino answered, "Because even genin teams are being deployed. If it was someone dangerous, genin would not be part of the mission."

"Probably some High profile civilian got lost or some kid from a big family ran away." Shikamaru yawned. He really wanted to take a nap.

The children were still talking when Iruka-sensei arrived. Shikamaru raised his eyebrows.

"Weren't you on leave, sensei? Did they bring you out of leave too?" he asked.

Iruka looked at the Nara surprised. He was even more surprised when Shino asked, "Who is the search for?"

"How do you know all this?" Iruka asked his students.

"So there is a search?" Sasuke smirked.

Iruka realized that he had been played. He looked at Shikamaru and the ponytailed boy shrugged.

"Wasn't hard to figure out, with all the tracking ninja being called."

Iruka understood and felt his chest swell with pride at his students. However, he couldn't tell them their classmate had run away after their teacher tried to kill him. They would find out later, but Iruka wasn't going to be the one to tell them.

"Never mind that." He said. " Just know that you can go home, academy is cancelled for today."

The children tried to argue but thought better of it as he glared at them. Iruka looked towards the Tower. _Please find him safe and sound,_ he thought .

* * *

Sarutobi stood on the roof of his tower as he gazed at the hundred odd ninja standing before him. Only Jounin and the Chuunin team captains, along with nine squad of his ANBU. This was going to be the largest manhunt organized by Konoha . He walked to the stone dais created by his ANBU general's jutsu to stand a little higher.

"As most of you know by now, you have been called for a search and retrieve mission. What you do not know is your target. I am going to tell you now. Your target is Uzumaki Naruto." He began.

The ninja who knew of Naruto and the Kyuubi were shocked. Others were wondering why such measures were being taken for a single child. A troublemaker, at that. But they did notice their seniors stiffen at the name, so they stayed silent.

"Further strategy will be explained by Nara Shikaku." The Hokage said as Shikaku climbed up the steps to stand next to the Hokage.

"The detailed assignments will be given in the mission office, but I will explain the general strategy. The immediate area around the Village will be assigned to Genin teams with tracking experience. They will not be accompanied by their Jounin instructors, but by two chuunin for tactical support. They are unlikely to enter a combat situation." Shikaku explained. All the ninja present nodded.

"Genin teams will not go beyond a day's travel. The area after that will be assigned to groups of four chuunin. A team that doesn't have a tracker will be assigned one. These teams will go up to the border of the fire country. For the area outside the border, one jounin along with two trackers will be assigned for ally countries. Two man jounin teams and trackers will go into neutral countries. The ANBU teams will go into enemy countries, where stealth is of importance, and chances of combat are high." Shikaku finished as the Hokage stepped forward again.

"Remember, we are searching to retrieve, so force is not to be used when dealing with Uzumaki Naruto. He ran away because someone tried to kill him and almost succeeded. He is scared and paranoid. He believes that he will be eliminated as a nukenin. So it is highly probable that he will try to flee on contact. Try to impress upon him that you do not mean him any harm, and are under my orders to bring him back to me. Also inform him if he listens that the man who attacked him has been taken into custody and will not be bothering him ever again."

The shinobi nodded. All this was news to most of them. Somebody had tried to kill the demon brat? And he was in prison? Also, if rumors were to be believed, the council's powers had been reduced after they tried to protest. It was easy to see that the Hokage was angry. If anyone tried to harm the brat during the mission, the Hokage was sure to deal with them severely.

Sarutobi looked at his shinobi forces. He knew that none would dare to harm Naruto for quite a while now. All he could hope was that they find Naruto safe and bring him back. He nodded to Shikaku and left the stone dais. The rest could be handled by the mission office and Shikaku. Sarutobi made his way into his personal resting room next to his office and sat down in his easy chair.

It was two hours later when he observed teams beginning to leave the village. He glanced at the clock. It was already one in the afternoon. According to the report by Dog, they had left the boy after midnight. Iruka's letter showed that Naruto had spent some time in his attacker's apartment. That meant Naruto could have left any time after two in the morning. That would mean, he had an eleven hour lead. Another factor was that they weren't sure in which direction Naruto had left. By the time they managed to pinpoint the direction, Naruto would have gained another hour. Sarutobi sighed, but he knew that now it was out of his hands. He could only sit and wait for news, hopefully favourable news. _I hope he isn't in any enemy territory, _Sarutobi prayed as he began his wait.

* * *

Dog and his team were returning to their last checkpoint for the tenth time. He was frustrated by now. The heavy rains the night before had all but washed away the scent of their target. Even his ninken were having trouble sniffing out the boy's tracks. It was already sixteen hours into the search. He heard on the radio that other teams were not faring any better. Suddenly, a voice rang out on his head set.

"All ANBU teams within range, move to rendezvous point SX-1010."

Crane jumped up to his captain, waiting for instructions. Rendezvous point SX-1010 was an ANBU code for the narrow path leading to Kannabi Bridge. Dog stiffened. It lead to the place where the ANBU had lost his best friend._ More importantly, that is the direction of Iwa, _Dog thought as he nodded to his squad and they began moving towards the rendezvous point. After a while, they heard the message being repeated without the ANBU code, meant for Non-ANBU teams.

In a little while, they were joined by the other teams moving towards the destination mentioned on the radio. Out of the seven teams moving together, only two were ANBU, the rest were Jounin teams and one Chuunin team. In an hour, they reached their destination. As they skidded to a stop, Dog noticed that their group wasn't the only one that had answered the call. He could see Ferret's team along with a group of jounin teams. He beckoned Ferret as the others acknowledged their arrival. Ferret disappeared and reappeared in front of Dog. He pointed to a team with three Aburame in it.

"Their bugs made positive ID on the target's signature a little distance back. They radioed their location and followed the trail here. The scent goes into the river. That's where they lost the scent."

Dog nodded. He understood why the team had called for backup. It was confirmed that the boy had passed through here, but further path taken was unknown. He looked up to the sky. He could see black clouds in the distance into Earth country.

"It seems it has not stopped raining ahead. It will make tracking all the more difficult, but with Iwa patrols taking cover, we may be able to infiltrate faster." Ram said as he came up to stand with the other squad captains.

"We need to reevaluate our strategy." Dog spoke. The other two nodded. He turned to see that all other teams were looking at the three ANBU captains standing together and talking, waiting for further instructions, as they were the highest ranked officers in the field. Ram made a gesture with his hand, calling the jounin team captains. Dog waited as the captains arrived.

"It is now confirmed that the target passed through here. It seems that the boy is going into the Earth country." Dog informed the newcomers.

"Is he going to betray us by going into Iwa?" one team leader asked. The others pondered at this idea for a few seconds, until Dog spoke up.

"I don't think so. He is an academy student. There is no way he knows where Iwa is. Even rookie jounin aren't aware of that fact. No, if we remember Hokage-sama's words, he said that the boy expected to be pursued. He was under the impression that he will be pursued to be eliminated as a nukenin. It is only logical from his point of view to go into an area where his pursuer's movements will be hampered and he will have a natural defense in the form of enemy patrols that will delay and maybe even eliminate the threat." Dog said as he shook his head at the Jounin's question.

"Assuming he has the brains to think like that." Ram offered. "From what I've heard, he is a no good troublemaker."

Another jounin captain shook his head and sighed, typical of his Nara clan. "Oh he has brains, no doubt. His traps and pranks are really well thought out. In our clan, chuunin are taught his better traps and sometimes when a jounin discovers one without setting it off, we use it to test those chuunin."

Others looked surprised at this piece of information. The Nara shrugged, "His traps are that good." He looked at the others and continued. "The part of the brain used for planning is used for any and all planning, not for certain areas only. In this case, it is highly probable that he anticipated our actions and planned for this possibility." The others stood and digested the Nara's words.

Ram was the first to speak, "Taking this knowledge into account and adding to it the fact that the target had a twelve hour lead on us. It has been eighteen hours since the search began. A child like him would have taken nine to ten hours to reach this place."

"At least twelve." Ferret interrupted. "He would have stopped to rest at least two times. He is an academy brat, after all. It's not like he could have been running non-stop, is it?" Most of the captains chuckled ignorantly. Somewhere far away, Naruto sneezed.

"Twelve, then." Ram acquiesced. "That puts him at around a eighteen hour lead. Taking into account the planning before we move out and factoring in Iwa patrols and other variables, like losing his tracks, he moving away continuously, I estimate at least a twenty hour search before one of us finds him."

Dog nodded and spoke, "While in Earth country, if we run into patrols, try not to kill. We don't need this causing a war."

The others nodded. Now they needed to make a strategy.

Finally, after twenty minutes, the captains broke apart and moved to their teams, except for dog. Among the ANBU captains he was the most senior as he had held the captains post the longest, so he was put in charge.

"We have decided that the jounin teams will be joining the ANBU going into enemy territory. All of you are capable of handling yourselves. The chuunin team, however, will stay behind and try to call for any more teams in the vicinity. We will leave our plan with you. If any more jounin or above teams arrive, appraise them of the situation and tell them to read this." Dog threw a scroll to the chuunin team captain. "Any chuunin team that comes will go back and try to round up more jounin teams and send them here. This is going to be our base of operation from now until we return with the target." The chuunin nodded. Dog continued, "The team captains will brief the rest on the way. Move out."

In a whirlwind of leaves, only the chuunin team remained in the clearing.

* * *

Naruto tried to push the feelings of remorse back as he ran. He had cried for the first few hours as he ran, then had hiccupped for the next two. It had taken all his determination not to turn back when the sun had started to shine on his head. He had run all day and all night. The rain had been going on sporadically, on and off. Before he had the chance to dry in the sun, it would start again, drenching him again. For the last seven hours, there had been no dense forest to take cover in. There had been some trees, but not dense like the woods around the village. For the past thirty minutes, he had been running on open plains. From what he remembered of the map he had brought with him from his teacher's place, he was already in Earth country. _I'm just thankful that I haven't run into any enemy. _

Naruto had barely finished this thought when he saw blurs appear on both his side. He skidded to a stop. So did the blurs. These blurs turned out to be Iwa shinobi. They were wearing red flowing robe like thingies, like the Hyuuga, except these guys' robes had only one sleeve. Naruto cursed inwardly. He saw there were four shinobi. They were looking at him with frowns, all of them in defensive positions, surrounding him. Naruto did what he always did when people frowned at him. He gave them the biggest grin he could muster. This threw the ninjas off for a second before they regained their composure.

"Hello! Heh…heh." Naruto said grinning as if he had known them all his life.

"Who are you?" the woman in the group asked him, not harshly.

"Naruto." Naruto replied as he puffed out his chest in a comedic fashion. The woman disappeared in a blur and he felt someone smack him into the ground. "OWWW!" He yelped as his face met the ground. "What was that for?"

The woman looked at her comrades and shook her head. "Not a henge. He is definitely a kid." The others relaxed a bit. The woman stooped down and lifted Naruto back onto his feet, using the straps of his bag pack.

"There you go kid. Sorry about that, had to check. But no harm done, right?" She asked as she dusted him off. Another shinobi came forward. This guy had an eye patch and he was still frowning. The kid looked too much like the man who still plagued his nightmares even ten years after his death for him to be comfortable.

"Who are you kid?" He asked again.

Naruto still had his head in his hands as he rubbed the sore spot. He looked up and said, "Naruto, like I said the first time."

"Full name." The man growled.

Naruto's eyes widened in understanding. He straightened as he again puffed out his chest and said with pride, "Uzumaki Naruto."

All shinobi exchanged glances. Most of them had heard about the clan. It had been their village that had destroyed them after all. Other than a few stragglers, none remained of that clan. This boy was probably not a full Uzumaki, maybe only a quarter or half as he didn't have the trademark red hair. Also, his face had weird marks on them. They were too symmetrical to be random scars. They were probably some clan markers. The woman asked, "So, Uzumaki Naruto, what are you doing here?"

Every shinobi noticed as the child's face fell. The sadness in his demeanor was apparent as his eyes watered. Naruto looked down as he replied softly, "I ran away."

The kunoichi couldn't help it and she put an arm on the boy's shoulder as she knelt in front of him. Naruto looked up to see her peering into his eyes. "Why did you run away?"

Naruto fought back tears as he replied, "Everybody hates me there."

"What about your parents? Surely they will worry?"

"I have no parents." Naruto replied, his voice breaking. The kunoichi's eyes softened and she pulled Naruto into a hug. Naruto was surprised, but he let her hug him.

"Where are you from?" the eye patch shinobi asked.

Naruto decided to lie. "A village, ten hours away from here."

The other, thin shinobi felt sorry for the boy. One asked, "What were you planning to do?"

Naruto looked up and said in a pitiable manner, "I don't know."

All the shinobi felt sorry for the boy. They had just met the kid, but they seemed to want to help him, in spite of his resemblance to a certain dead Konoha shinobi. The ninja with the eye patch growled as he said, "He looks too much like the yellow flash. I don't like it."

The thin ninja rolled his eyes as he replied. "The yellow flash has been dead for ages now. Seriously, you old geezers need to stop pissing your pants at the mention of his name. What's the big deal?"

"You little punk. You don't know what you're talking about. I saw him take out my entire platoon before the leader had time to order a retreat. I only survived because I fell down in fear and had the sense to play dead. Although sometimes I think he knew I was alive but let me go."

Naruto looked on, confused. He didn't understand anything the shinobi were talking about. (he didn't remember the moniker given to his favorite Hokage.) He didn't know any yellow guy, although he was curious as to how the yellow guy looked. Was he all yellow or just yellow eyes and face? He stopped paying attention to the talking shinobi as he tried to imagine the yellow guy. He then noticed that one guy wasn't really offering anything to the discussion. He stood differently from the others as well, with an unspoken authority about him, like the Hokage jiji stood when Naruto was sent to him after he had done something wrong.

"Worst case scenario, he is some bastard child that the yellow flash fathered in a brothel before he died. Even if he is, the boy is no yellow flash." Then the thin guy started laughing. The others gave him a questioning look. "Imagine if he became a Iwa nin and met some Konoha nin when he became older. They would shit their pants at the sight of him. They'd think we'd managed to clone the yellow flash." The others also laughed. But the woman suddenly stopped.

The woman turned to her comrades and said slowly, "Maybe we could take him back with us to Iwa."

Naruto looked up at the woman and then at her friends. Suddenly he understood what the woman was asking her friends. She wanted to take him back to her shinobi village. Naruto was thinking furiously. _These guys don't seem too bad, they are even considering taking an unknown kid back to their village. _He looked at the group again._ But do I want to go and become an Iwa nin? If I do, I will become an enemy of Konoha. _His heart became heavy at the thought. Then he remembered something else that made him sad. _But they already want to kill me, so with these guys I might be safe. I guess I'll figure it out later. _

Naruto knew that if he didn't show any response, he would look a little suspicious. So he decided to act as if he was interested.

"Really?" He asked. The woman smiled as all the sadness suddenly evaporated as they watched the boy look at them with excitement. "Please say yes, shinobi-san." He turned to their group leader. The Iwa nin was surprised as the boy looked at him with puppy dog eyes. _Must resist, _he thought. But the damage was done. Also, he knew the kunoichi. She wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Fine." He said. The kunoichi smiled. The Iwa nin also noticed how the kid had automatically turned to him on instinct. No one had told him that he was the squad leader. He hadn't even spoken yet. Perhaps the kid was going to be worth the trouble. He would probably have to do something about the orange jumpsuit though. It was because of the orange outfit that they had seen the blonde from quite far.

"Yay!" The blonde jumped around, doing what they could see was a victory dance. Then he turned to him and said, "Ano se- Ano se, shinobi-san, will I be taught all the cool moves you ninja do with chatara?"

All ninja looked confused. He asked, "Chatara?"

Naruto looked at him in surprise. "You know, the stuff needed to do jutsu? The energy-ttebayo?" he asked.

"-ttebayo?" the ninja looked at him funny.

Naruto's face went red as he said, "I sometimes add that to my sentences when I'm emotional-ttebayo."

The kunoichi burst out laughing. "I think he means chakra." She laughed. Naruto looked at her with a confused expression.

"I'm pretty sure it was called chatara." He said.

This made the others start laughing too. Naruto just shrugged. This made the others laugh even more.

"What's so funny, shinobi-san?"

"You are, little fishcake." The Kunoichi chuckled as she ruffled his hair. Naruto liked how she did it. "And if you're coming with us, you're going to have to stop calling us shinobi-san. Use our names instead. My name is Iwataru Kaname. The guy with the eye patch is Douzu-san." She pointed. "The thin guy is Jenshu Riatou. Our squad leader is Iwataru Souske. He is a jounin." Naruto looked at her and then at the team leader.

"Both of you are Iwataru? Are you brother and sister? You don't look similar." He asked as the leader sputtered and the others laughed. Naruto wondered why. It was true after all. The kunoichi had light brown hair, chocolate eyes and soft features. The jounin had pitch black hair, black eyes and a pointed chin.

The kunoichi ruffled his head again as she shook her head. "No, little fishcake. There are other ways to have the same name." she smiled.

"Like what?" Naruto asked, tilting his head to the side.

"We should leave now." The jounin cut in quickly. Naruto shrugged as the other two sniggered again.

"Okay then, little fishcake. Keep up." Kaname patted the boy's shoulder. The odd little group of four shinobi and a little boy started running.

They had travelled till it was nearly dark when they decided to stay in the next town for Naruto's benefit. Energetic or not, he was a kid and was bound to get tired. The entire way had gone by with Naruto asking questions non-stop. All the shinobi were amused at the boy's thought processes. They couldn't understand how he had gone from talking about water jutsu to some place called Ichiraku. When they asked him, he replied, "When you told me about water jutsu, I thought it was awesome. So my mind asked me what else is awesome? Easy, RAMEN! The best ramen is Ichiraku's." Once again, the shinobi laughed and Naruto had no idea why. He was just happy that the others were in a good mood. It was rare to see someone laughing with genuine amusement by something he did.

Souske noticed that his wife was getting very friendly with the boy. Even he had to admit, the kid was interesting. Normally, cases like his were handled by the chuunin in charge of training foundlings or orphans. But, he could see that Kaname was not going to let that happen. He was going to get bullied into looking into the boy's adjustment into the village. He wouldn't be surprised if she offered to let him stay at their house, the way the two were behaving. _What do I care? The mansion has enough rooms as it is. At least it will be interesting with him around _,he thought.

Their slow trek back, to accommodate for the speed of their new member was going fine until another team of shinobi appeared beside them. They looked a bit harried. Their leader spoke quickly.

"There are reports of sightings of multiple teams of Konoha dogs inside our borders. They are coming in quick. We have already lost contact with two border teams. We are to go and check it out."

Naruto stiffened on hearing this. _Jiji sent out people after me so soon? More than one team it sounds like._

The other squad members looked at Naruto.

"Who is he?"

Souske replied, "An orphan. He wants to be a shinobi. We were taking him back home."

The other leader nodded. Events like these were uncommon, but not unheard of.

"But he can't come with us. It's likely that we will get into a fight."

Kaname nodded and beckoned Naruto to her side. She took out some money and passed it to the boy. "Take this, little fishcake. Go straight in the direction we were going in. There is a small town there. Get something to eat. Ramen, if you want. If it's late, rent a room and go to sleep. Get up and go outside in the morning. We will be back in a few hours. We'll pick you up from there tomorrow." She smiled gently at the boy.

Naruto knew that he couldn't afford to do that. If Konoha ninja were after him, he had to get away and fast. Even though he really liked the nice lady, he didn't really want to become an Iwa shinobi. Somehow he knew he didn't.

Naruto nodded but asked, "How will you find me in that town?" Kaname smiled and ruffled his hair one last time. "Trust me kid, I'd spot you a mile away."

Then, the Iwa shinobi rushed to their borders.

* * *

Dog chopped another Iwa nin behind his neck, and moved to the next one. This was the second patrol they had run into, or his ninken had run into. This team had dogs as well, so they had been found out. One of the dogs had managed to run away, probably to warn other teams. It was already sixteen hours since they had broken away from their base back in fire country.

Crane appeared behind him and said, "Should we take a different route? There will be others now that the dog got away."

"No. We have his scent right now, although it is faint. If it rains again, we might lose it altogether." Dog shook his head. "We need to continue on this path as fast as possible." Crane nodded. The ANBU left their opponents on the ground and raced forward.

After an hour or so of running, the small dog leading the chase stopped, causing the ANBU to halt as well. Dog looked at his summon and asked, "What happened? Did you lose the scent?"

The dog looked back as if offended. "No. The wind just brought a fresh set of scents. eight people travelling towards us and quickly. Probably two teams moving together."

Dog sighed as he thought, _not again. I guess we'll just be done with it quickly. _He turned to his squad and ordered.

"Crane and I will burrow underground. Raccoon, make a genjutsu to hide yourself and sparrow. We'll do it quick and easy."

"Wait a minute." The small dog said as it sniffed the air again. "I think- yes I'm sure, there is also the scent of the target mixed with their scents. It is faint, but it is there."

All four ANBU turned to look at the dog on the ground. Sparrow asked first, "You mean the boy is coming towards us with the enemy?"

The dog shook his head from side to side and replied, "No, the smell is too faint for him to be with the group. It is a second hand smell. Someone in that group had close contact with the boy."

Dog nodded and turned to his team.

"Restrain them only. We will need that one conscious to interrogate. The others nodded.

* * *

Souske was the first to notice the assault. He shoved his wife out of the way as a wood prison came out of the ground and caught three of them in it. The other team's leader was caught in a genjutsu along with his team as more wood came out of the ground and bound their hands apart, stopping them from doing seals. He saw in dismay as Kaname was attacked by an animal masked ninja. _ANBU._ The sight filled him with terror. There was no way his wife would survive against one of the Elite Konoha killers. Even less experienced jounin were advised to avoid engaging the Leaf village's Assassination Squad. He saw his wife slam into the ground and wood come out of the ground to bind her there.

He tried to break his bonds but they were very strong. As he struggled, another piece of wood came out and rammed into his stomach. He fell to the ground, gasping. He saw a dog sniff the air and then swiftly move next to Kaname and announce, "This is the one who knows what we need."

Souske watched with wide eyes as the wood shifted to lift Kaname into a sitting position. He felt fear like he had never felt before as he saw an ANBU move towards her. He saw her try to struggle, but it was futile. He finally found his voice.

"GET AWAY FROM HER YOU BASTARDS! FIGHT ME, LET HER GO!" he yelled. The ANBU stopped to glance at him. _Yes, come at me, forget about her. _He thought. But after the glance, the ANBU started to walk towards Kaname again.

"NO! ASK ME WHATEVER YOU WANT, LET HER GO! IF YOU TOUCH ONE HAIR ON HER HEAD, I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU EVEN IF I HAVE TO FOLLOW YOU TO KONOHA. I WILL BURN YOUR VILLA-" Souske was yelling, but another wood arm came and slammed into him, but this time to his head. _Kaname…. _Was his last coherent thought as he fell into the darkness.

Kaname watched as her husband fell to the ground, unconscious. She turned to look at her captive with fear in her eyes. They had run into ANBU of all opponents. The torture department of the ANBU was very well known, along with the names of its skilled ninja- the Morino clan. She shook as she resolved herself not to scream. She wouldn't scream, even if she went mad with the pain. Funnily, all she could think was that Naruto would be waiting for people who would now never come.

Dog stepped up to the woman and shifted his mask so that he could slide his hitai-ate up from his eye. Then he looked into the woman's eyes and she fell limp.

* * *

Kaname woke as she felt some one shaking her. To her relief, it was her husband, stooping over her with tears in his eyes.

"I thought you were going to die." He rasped out as he pulled her into his embrace.

"I'm- I'm fine." She managed to say as her husband tried to squeeze the life out of her with his bear hug. She patted him on the back as she asked, "What happened?"

Raitou came to stand by her and said, "Just as I thought they were gonna start the interrogation," he avoided the word torture for her sake, "Reinforcements arrived. Three teams with a dog. Those konoha bastards left you and ran. The teams gave chase. One of them broke us out of the wood thing. We came to you but you were unconscious, perhaps from the shock. Then we woke him up" he nodded to Souske. "and then you know." He finished lamely.

Kaname laughed a shaky laugh. She had been saved- no _they_ had been saved. She tried to stand, but her knees were still shaky. Souske put his arm around her to steady her. She looked up at the sky. It had gotten dark but it still wasn't late. She turned to her husband and smiled. "I guess we should go and pick the little fishcake now" she said.

Souske nodded absent mindedly. She smiled as she saw how shaken her husband was to see her get captured. She gave him a quick kiss. He looked at her and asked, " What was that for?"

She smiled as she answered, " For loving me so much." She then laughed as he went red. She moved out of his arms and said, " C'mon, let's go."

They made good time as they made their way to the town. The other team had come with them as well. Kaname felt relieved knowing that her comrades were with her right now. The experience of almost being tortured had left her emotionally weak. She didn't show it but she would have been a little afraid if the others had wanted to join the teams giving chase to the ANBU. She looked at her husband running beside her. She would ask him for training when they got home. She would apply for a break from missions and train until she regained some confidence.

As they reached the town, she asked a passerby where the best Ramen restaurant was. She made her way to where the man had pointed her to and sure enough, orange assaulted her eyes. She smiled as she called out, "Hey, little fishcake. Over here." Naruto did not turn to look at her.

Suddenly she noticed that she couldn't hear the noise of the crowd anymore. She looked around and was scared to see that she was alone. None of her teammates or her husband was beside her. She turned towards Naruto again, but standing in front of her was the same ANBU who had been about to torture her. She felt fear creep up to her heart as she looked into the black holes for eyes in the mask. She saw something red for a moment before the dark swallowed her whole.

* * *

Kakashi lowered the cloth over his eye as he moved away from the limp woman. From what he had seen, Naruto was not a prisoner. In fact, the woman had been worried for the boy. Not worried like danger worried, but worried as a mother would worry for her child who had gone alone to the market. She had even known to find the boy at a ramen stand. What exactly was the nature of her relationship with the boy? Surely they had met only a few hours ago? Was the boy truly going to betray them to Iwa? He shook his head as he reminded himself that he needed to find Naruto first. He could play twenty questions with himself later.

"The target is in a town a couple of hours from here. Raccoon, put her in with those guys. Sparrow, make sure they don't wake up anytime in the next 24 hours. Then we move out." The ANBU nodded as they completed their orders, then with renewed vigor, the team dashed towards the town.

* * *

**I hope you guys liked it...****  
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**How many of you realized that the last part was a genjutsu before you finished the chapter? I hope not many. I tried to make it as natural as possible. i was pretty pleased with how it turned out. Fell free to deflate my ego with any criticism you can make.**

**How about the part where the future Rookie nine make an appearance. I wanted to focus on the people noticing the disturbance.  
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**EDIT: IMPORTANT NOTE: I've been getting many reviews where the readers are a bit confused because of the Haku and Zabuza scene at the end of chapter 1. So to explain: when Naruto collapses, that was three days after he runs away. I added that to the first chapter as a kind of a ploy to catch interest of the readers. This chapter is day two after he has run away. That event will happen later. I hope this clears any confusion you guys might have. :-)  
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**ANOTHER QUIZ: ****I think Racoon's identity should be clear to everyone. So drop me a line and we'll see :-)  
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**A/N : Naruto's literal meaning is Fishcake. It is a ingredient in the food of the Gods- Ramen. :-D  
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**Expect the next update on/by 10th nov. EDIT: heh...heh, i wrote October by mistake initially. Thanks to Soleneus for pointing that out.  
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**Till the next time... Remember, Reviews make happy authors and happy authors makes better stories. :-)**


	4. The Chase Ends, An Adventure Begins

**Hey People! I'm Baaaaack. Baaaaaa~ck , Baaaa-*whacked on the head by friend* Ahem. As I was saying. I'm back and I've brought a new chapter with me. I'm nice aren't I? I managed to finish this sooner than I expected due to unforeseen free time. Don't you just love it when you have no deadlines or reports to write? I sure do.**

**Now, I would like to thank all those people who took the time to review. In fact, it was because of those nice words that I was motivated to write instead of going to the mall and buying things I don't need and looking at things I can't afford and basically pigging out at the food court. So another thanks to you guys for helping me save my money.  
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**Also, I'm going to try and bribe you people for more reviews: When I get a total of 75 reviews for the story, I'm going to post an artwork for the story on my DA account.. It's turning out to be pretty nice if I may say so myself. This is what happens when I am bored, and away from a computer. I draw. One of my drawings came off well, so I'm going to do it on my computer in photoshop.  
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**Anyways, back to business. Here is the 4th chapter.  
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**I hope you guys like it. Enjoy! Remember to review please...  
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* * *

**Chapter: 4 The Chase Ends, An Adventure Begins**

The ANBU raced to the town, knowing that this might be their last chance. Soon, Iwa jounin and their special forces, similar to ANBU would come to the borders as Iwa sent out their elite. Dog had dismissed his summon as they knew that the target was in the town. Something he would later regret. But right now, all of them ran as fast as they could.

They reached the town in an hour. Dog and the others henged into civilians and asked for the ramen stands. For the next hour, they searched every ramen stand and other restaurant, but they couldn't find him. Dog didn't want to summon Pakkun again. A ninken would give them away as he wore a Konoha headband. But after the one hour they had spent searching, the ANBU moved to an alley where Dog took out a scroll and rubbed the targets socks that they had for the scent onto it. Then he performed a series of hand signs and slammed the hand into the ground along with the scroll. Strange markings appeared on the ground but no summon appeared. His team wasn't surprised. They knew this move. It was their leader's **Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu. **The dogs would track the target from beneath the ground and return when they found him. The ANBU only had to wait.

After roughly another hour, eight ninken burst out of the ground and stood before them. The dog from before, Pakkun, shook his head.

"There is no scent of the target in the town. He was never here."

Dog looked at his ninken. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Dog turned to his team and said, "So. Now what? Do we continue, risking running into Iwa forces or return?"

Sparrow spoke, "We can try till the morning. The elite Iwa nin are unlikely to reach here before that time. Iwa is a day's hard run from here."

Raccoon nodded as he added, "We are probably the closest to the Target. We need to trace our steps back until Pakkun picks up the scent."

Dog listened to his team. He looked at Crane who nodded. Dog returned the nod, "Then we follow the trail until morning, if we don't find him by then, we return."

The team nodded to each other, and disappeared.

* * *

Naruto was wheezing as he ran. Every muscle in his body screaming for mercy, for him to stop., but the fear of his pursuers catching him drove him on. He hadn't eaten for the last two days. It was almost morning. He would run for another couple of hours before he took a rest. No use running if he died from exhaustion.

* * *

The ANBU team ran fast. Five hours ago they had picked up the scent of the boy. On the trail, the smell was slowly getting stronger, meaning that they were getting closer. _An hour maybe, two at the most_, Dog thought. They would find the boy and bring him back. At this point, all of them were running on soldier pills. If the boy tried to run, he would forgo the polite convincing and just whack him on the head, tie him up and take him back. He'll apologize to the Hokage and his late-sensei later.

* * *

Naruto was exhausted and hurting. Running away had seemed like a good idea three days ago. Now, he was lost in an unknown land, hungry from not eating for two days. He could hardly keep his eyes open. After leaving the Iwa group, he had steered away from towns and villages. It was early morning, probably seven in the morning.

_One more hour, then I'll rest. _He stumbled and fell down, the weight of his rucksack almost crushing him. He didn't have the strength to pick himself up. He slept.

His pain in his head woke him up. He felt someone take his bag off his back. He tried to grab his bag when he heard a gentle voice as he was turned on his back.

"Don't worry; I am only trying to help you."

Naruto tried to open his eyes but the effort increased the pain, so he gave up after he managed to open them for a second. He saw a gentle face with long black hair. The last thing he heard was the person call out to someone.

"We should help him, Zabuza-sama."

Then he passed out.

* * *

Dog stood at the spot where Naruto had passed out, looking at the empty ground. Pakkun looked up to him and said, "More scents came to this place, perhaps half an hour ago. The kids scent is in the air, not the ground. He is being carried. There is also the smell of a sedative."

Dog and the others took this in.

"Follow them." Dog said.

The team dashed forward again.

After ten minutes, the summon looked to the ANBU with the mask of his kind.

"It's getting fainter. Whoever got the kid is moving really fast. Almost as fast as us."

Dog was debating what to do when Crane appeared beside him.

"Chances are that the new group is rested and alert, unlike us. Even if we catch up to them, we are at a disadvantage. We also have to consider that the trail is going further away from the Fire country's borders. We risk running into Iwa jounin now. We cannot complete the mission."

Dog knew what his team member was saying was correct. It hurt him physically to voice the words.

"Very well, Abort mission. The mission to retrieve Uzumaki Naruto is a failure."

* * *

Hizuren had been waiting for the past two days for news. All the genin teams had returned without any news three days ago. Almost all chuunin teams had also returned by now. Two days ago, a chuunin team had returned and told him about the new incursion of the jounin teams into Earth country from near the Kannabi Bridge. His heart had begun beating faster after hearing that. Of all the places to go, Naruto had chosen the one country where people might kill him just for his resemblance to his father. He had been a little encouraged by the news that at least they knew where he was and his best ANBU units were on the trail. But today, he had seen all but two teams return from the earth country-two of his ANBU teams. All other teams had continued until Iwa had sent out its own jounin teams. His orders had been clear on that front. They were to return if high level combat was possible unless Naruto was very close or worse, had been taken prisoner. Now only Dog's and Ferret's teams remained. He was still hoping for the best until he saw Dog and Ferret making his way towards the tower. None of them had Naruto with them. Ferret stopped at the roof of ANBU headquarters while Dog continued forward.

Dog kneeled as he arrived in the Hokage's office. With a firm voice that hid the fear behind it, Hizuren commanded. "Report."

Dog kept his head down as he said the words that pierced Sarutobi's heart like a dagger.

"Mission to retrieve Uzumaki Naruto was a failure."

Sarutobi controlled himself as he felt his knees shake. He couldn't allow himself to show weakness to his shinobi. He nodded and commanded Dog to continue.

"We managed to find Naruto's trail. It seems he had come in contact with Iwa nin and was on good terms with at least one kunoichi, and was travelling with them."

"He was going to Iwa?" Sarutobi cut in, surprised.

"It looked like it, Sandaime-sama." Dog replied.

"What do you think?" Sarutobi asked his ANBU.

"We initially presumed that he was going to Iwa with them, but he was not at the meeting place the woman had decided with him. In my opinion, he must have run into them and made up some story. Either he was bidding his time till he could escape, or he could be considering going to Iwa. The woman and Naruto seemed to have developed an almost sister-brother relationship." Dog said as he finally looked up to the Hokage.

"You believe that the welcome change in his treatment would make Naruto go to Iwa?" the Third asked saddened. Again, his failings in dealing with Naruto's treatment at the hands of his villagers had come to haunt him.

"It is possible, Sandaime-sama. He is, after all, a kid. He wants attention and recognition. Any affection he receives would draw him like a moth to a flame." Dog said after a few moments. "But that is not all, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi looked back at Dog. His ANBU's voice had betrayed that some worse news was yet to come.

"After we did not find Uzumaki Naruto at the designated meeting place, we backtracked until Pakkun picked up his scent. We followed the scent and we were getting closer. Then we reached a point where two other scents ran into him from another direction. Pakkun smelled sedatives and said that Uzumaki Naruto was being carried. After we decided to follow his scent again, we found that instead of closing in on it like before, we were actually falling behind. Very slowly, but falling behind none the less, as by that time, we were running purely on soldier pills. Even if we managed to catch up to these unknowns if they stopped to rest, we would be at a serious disadvantage. I deemed the mission to be a failure and we returned. We met Ferret's team on the border and returned with them." Dog finished.

Sarutobi nodded and he dismissed the ANBU. He watched Dog blur and vanish. He sighed. "Boar." He called out and the ANBU appeared, kneeling. "Inform the council of this development. I don't trust myself in the same room as them right now." He waited until his ANBU left. Then he turned and walked to his window and said to what seemed like thin air, "Call Danzo to my office."

The ROOT ninja hidden in the wall felt his heart quicken. He stayed in his spot. Sarutobi turned his head in the ROOT's direction and said to what would seem like thin air to a casual observer, "Immediately."

The ROOT ninja, sweating behind his mask melded out of the wall and was about to leave when Sarutobi added "And after that, find Nara Shikaku and Umino Iruka. Tell them to come to my office." The ROOT ninja wondered if he should say something about the fact that he was not technically the Hokage's to order around. He caught the look in the Hokage's eyes and thought the better of it. It wouldn't hurt him to do as the man had asked after all. The ninja nodded and vanished.

* * *

Sarutobi stood at the window, still thinking when Danzo arrived in a few minutes. If he was worried about the Hokage knowing about the ROOT ninja in his office, he did not show it.

"Was it your men who took away Naruto-kun?" he asked without facing his visitor.

"My men? I don't understand, Sarutobi." Danzo said. His ninja had briefed him on the ANBU's report to the Hokage. He chose not to acknowledge the fact.

"I am not in the mood for your games, Shimura." Sarutobi said in a dangerously low voice. "I have tolerated your secrets and manipulations because I know that most of what you do is for Konoha, but, if you do not come clean right now, I will end you."

Instantly, three hooded figures of the ANBU General and his subordinates appeared, surrounding Danzo, their tanto drawn and ready.

Danzo stood silently for a few moments and then replied, "No."

Sarutobi accepted the answer. The ANBU sheathed their tanto, but did not retreat. "You had teams of your own following Naruto-kun?" Sarutobi continued.

"Yes."

"Do any of them have any idea what happened?"

"No. My teams were limited because of their lesser numbers. Not many were near Earth country when the secondary base was set up."

"Are any of them still in the field?"

"Yes."

"As soon as they return, I want to hear what they found. From their own mouths."

"That is not possible."

"Danzo, I am tiring of this nonsense." Sarutobi said as he turned his head slightly to look at his old comrade.

Danzo saw rage in the eyes of the Hokage. Everybody believed the Sandaime to be a peaceful man. Danzo knew better. Sarutobi Hizuren had always been a man of ideals, but he was also a man of wrath. Over the years as Hokage, he had managed to learn to keep his temper under wraps. Right now, Danzo could see unbridled and fearsome rage in his one-time rival. Danzo knew that at this point in time, Sarutobi was very well capable of fighting him until Danzo was nothing more than a smear on the ground. An angry Sarutobi did not fight fair. The 'Professor' would not stop himself from stooping so low as to use kinjutsu from his vast arsenal. Only three times had Danzo seen Sarutobi in a similar rage, and each time, the ninja world had learned to fear the man more than before. Danzo decided that complete honesty was the only option.

"They are bound by a seal that doesn't allow them to disclose mission information to non-ROOT members, even under torture." Danzo said.

Sarutobi continued to glare at the man for a few moments and then he turned his face towards the window again."I guess I should have expected that from you. Very well, you will do. But understand this, Shimura, any hint of secrets or half-truths, and you will find yourself a long term tenant of the Torture department. You will stay there until you have nothing more to give me than the name of your favorite sea food dish."

Danzo nodded. Sarutobi took a deep puff from his pipe and asked.

"How many men do you have inside Iwa?"

"Enough." Danzo answered. Sarutobi let the vague answer slide. The numbers did not matter to him.

"If any of them hear or see anything about Naruto-kun, I must know as soon as you do."

Danzo nodded.

"I am guessing you are also keeping tabs on the general whereabouts of my student, Jiraiya?" Sarutobi asked and again Danzo nodded.

"Drop me some directions and I will send out someone to bring him back." Sarutobi continued.

Danzo asked, "Will he come back?"

"For a while, at least. It is about Minato's child after all." Sarutobi said. He knew that Danzo had managed to find out many years ago.

Danzo did not remark in surprise on Sarutobi's reply as he would have done usually. They were being honest for the time being.

"Very well. I will have one of the ROOT drop it by."

"Before you leave Danzo, I have something for you to do. Begin preparing strategies for a quick-grab mission just in case Naruto-kun is indeed in Iwa."

For the first time since the meeting, Danzo was truly surprised. He had assumed that Sarutobi would have tried diplomacy while he secretly tried covert ways, without the Hokage knowing. A genuine smile crossed his face. The next few days were going to be fun.

"Specifications?" he asked.

"A precise strike. My men should outnumber the ROOT two to one at least. Other than that, use your own discretion." Sarutobi provided. "No limits on manpower. Just tell me what you need and I will give it to you."

"I will require at least seven ANBU squads." Danzo warned.

"You may take more if it means we will retrieve Naruto-kun." Sarutobi said and dismissed Danzo.

* * *

Nara Shikaku was wondering why he had bothered to come at all. There was a friendly competition in the academy and his wife had ordered him to go and support their son. Their son, however, had no plans to compete at all and had forfeited as soon as his match had started. He was still thinking about what he was going to say to his wife when his son returned to his side, his hands in his pockets, looking as bored as only a Nara could.

"Why did you do that, son?" Shikaku looked at Shikamaru reproachfully. "I thought we had an agreement. You would last at least a decent while and I would play shougi with you later." Shikaku sighed at his son.

"It was too troublesome and you play with me because you like it, not because of little deals. So, it does not matter if I forfeited." Shikamaru said as he sat down next to his father. "Any news about Naruto?"

Shikaku sighed. As soon as the genin teams had returned, most of the village had found out the reason for the massive search operation. Needless to say, the topic was very popular in the academy.

"Well?" Shikamaru looked up towards his dad's face. Shikaku saw that many of his son's friends had turned towards him as well. He could see the Uchiha straining his ears without turning. The Inuzuka boy had almost turned backward in his seat. Ino, her pink haired friend, the Hyuuga heiress, Shibi's kid and Chouji looked interested as well.

"No, not yet. A couple of teams are yet to return." He informed his son.

"Is it true that ANBU have been deployed as well?" The Aburame boy asked. Before Shikaku could answer, the Inuzuka kid said, "As if, Shino. If they had been sent out, Naruto's ass would have been in Konoha two days ago."

Shikaku glanced at the boy with the red clan markers. "Actually, they have, Shino-kun."

"WHAT? No way. Even they couldn't find him?" Kiba said in disbelief. This caused Sasuke to turn and look as well.

Shikaku gave a small half-smile as he said, "Perhaps your friend is much better than you think."

All the kids were taking this in when a small voice asked, "Um- What is ANBU?"

Shikaku looked to see the pink haired girl blush as the other children looked at her in disbelief.

"You don't know about the ANBU?" Kiba asked, incredulous.

"Shut up Kiba." Ino defended her friend. "Sakura's parents aren't ninja. All of us only know because our parents and clan members told us."

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan. I will explain." Shikaku interrupted before he had a fight on his hands. "ANBU are elite ninja of our village. They are chosen from the very best our village has to offer, directly by the Hokage or the Commander of ANBU. Even after that, they continuously train to become better and undergo many demanding regimes to become specialists. They are very skilled and take on very dangerous and high risk missions. They are higher ranked than the jounin. They are all AA-rank ninja, which is higher than A-rank." Shikaku explained and the girl's eyes widened as she understood why her friends were so surprised. To think that the class prankster had managed to evade these scary sounding people as well, it surprised her too.

Shikaku was about to sigh as he sensed an incoming unfamiliar presence. He looked up sharply. The children noticed this and stopped talking as a hooded and masked ninja arrived near Shikaku. Shikaku was surprised to see a ROOT ninja in the open, but refrained from letting it show. The ROOT ninja signaled that he had been summoned along with someone. The hooded ninja pointed towards the young academy instructor and vanished as quickly as he had arrived.

"Oi Shikaku." Shikaku turned to see his friend, Inoichi looking at the direction where the ninja had appeared with a frown on his face. "Wasn't that mask a-?"

"Yeah." Shikaku said as he stood up. "Drop my son home, later, will you?"

Inoichi nodded as Shikaku caught Iruka's attention and signaled the young man to follow him. He had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

Naruto was aware of a cold and soothing feeling in his feet and legs. His ears could hear the sound of running water. He opened his eyes to find himself near a waterfall. He was in his boxers. His feet and legs were covered in some green paste. He wondered what was happening. _Where am I? Am I dreaming?_

"Are you finally awake?" a gentle voice floated up to him. He turned his head to see a long haired girl? Or a boy? Walking towards him with a basket. "You have been sleeping for two whole days."

Naruto suddenly remembered what he had been doing when he had fallen asleep. He tried to sit up and tried to crawl quickly away from the newcomer. His back rammed into a pair of legs. He looked up to see the most scary looking man he had ever seen, or was likely to- A tall, bare chested man, with the lower half of his face hidden by bandages, and eyes that scared Naruto into immobility. It probably didn't help that he was carrying a sword larger than Naruto on his shoulders.

Naruto was still in shock when the long haired err- person kneeled next to him.

"Don't worry, we are not going to hurt you."

Naruto turned and looked at the person next to him. He wanted to ask _who are you? _Instead he asked-"Are you a girl-ttebayo?"

He heard a snort from the man standing above him. He turned to look at the man and the person next to him smiled and said, "No. I am a boy. My name is Haku."

"NO WAY!" Naruto screamed, pointing at the boy next to him. "But, but, you're cuter than Sakura-chan."

Haku stared at the boy with an amused expression on his face. "While I do not know who Sakura-chan is, I'm sure she is cuter."

"No, dattebayo. Trust me, she is the cutest girl I know, and you are cuter. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? SAKURA-CHAN, FORGIVE ME. I, UZUMAKI NARUTO, THINK THAT A BOY IS CUTER THAN YOU. WAAAHHH!" Naruto yelled to the sky.

Haku chuckled at the boy's antics, but then he turned a bit serious as he said, "Well Naruto-kun, what were you doing all alone in the plains with a bag pack on your back?"

Naruto sobered up as he looked at the boy. "I ran away from my village."

"Why?" Haku asked.

"They hate me there. My teacher at the ninja academy tried to kill me." Naruto replied.

Haku's eyes widened as he heard the boy's reply. He looked up to Zabuza and saw that the jounin was paying attention as well. Mist had a Ninja Academy as well. Then Zabuza asked.

"Which village are you talking about?"

Naruto looked up vertically to see an upside down version of Zabuza's head looking down at him. "Konoha." He answered.

Zabuza and Haku shared a look. They looked back at the boy. Naruto was looking very sad and depressed as he remembered the events leading up to his running away.

"What are you going to do now?" Haku asked him. Naruto thought for a moment about the Iwa kunoichi before he answered. "Become a shinobi."

"Why?" Zabuza asked.

"Why not?" Naruto shrugged. Zabuza gave a nod, accepting the blonde's answer.

"Who are you guys?" Naruto surprised the missing nin by asking. Then they realized that Naruto had no idea who they were.

"We are shinobi, Naruto kun." Haku answered.

Naruto looked at the ninja with a new interest. _These guys are ninja? Cool. Wait- even this guy? Isn't he the same age as me?_

"How old are you? Aren't you young to be shinobi?" Naruto questioned the boy. If the other boy was offended, he didn't show it. Instead he chuckled as he answered the blonde.

"I am eleven years old, Naruto-kun."

"Cooooool." Naruto said as his eyes widened. The boy was only one year older than him. "What village are you from?"

Haku smiled sadly.

"We used to be from Kiri, but we ran away too. Now, Zabuza-sama and the others are nukenin."

"Like me." Naruto said.

"I don't think you are a nukenin, Naruto-kun. You have to be registered as the official ninja of the village you abandon to be labeled a nukenin. You are like me. I am not a registered Kiri nin, but Zabuza-sama trained me in the shinobi arts."

Zabuza moved away from the boy and went to immerse his feet in the water. He was wondering whether he needed another brat in his team when he heard the blonde ask.

"Who were they afraid of when they ran?"

This got his undivided attention as he released a lot of killing intent on the boy.

"Me, the Demon of the Bloody Mist, afraid?" He growled.

The boy shrank back, but asked with interest, " You're a demon too?"

Zabuza was a little taken aback. What did the brat mean, you too? Who else is worthy for the title of the 'Demon'.

"What do you mean, gaki?" he asked slowly, anger leaving his voice to be replaced by curiosity.

"I am also a demon." Naruto said, looking at Zabuza with interest. Zabuza snorted at this.

"You? An orange eyesore, a demon? Make better jokes, gaki. It ain't even remotely funny."

"I am one too." Naruto yelled. Even if he didn't like the fact that he was a demon, he wasn't going to let someone say he wasn't. "That's why my villagers hate me and want to kill me, because I killed hundreds of people many years ago."

Zabuza looked at the small boy. "If you want to lie, at least make up a good one, gaki. You can't be any older than ten and you sure as hell don't give the vibe of a killer." He scoffed.

Naruto jumped up, pointed his fingers at the tall man and yelled, " DAMN YOU! I AM TELLING YOU I AM A DEMON- DATTEBAYO. I AM THE KYUUBI."

Zabuza's eyes narrowed at this declaration. He looked the boy up and down. "I think you were dropped on your head as a baby, gaki."

Naruto just stared at the man angrily. _He has balls, this one, _Zabuza thought. "If you are the Kyuubi no yoko, where are your famous tails I've heard about?" Zabuza asked, looking at the blonde intensely.

Naruto was taken aback. He looked at Zabuza and then murmured something.

"What was that?" Zabuza asked dangerously, thinking Naruto was cursing.

"I said the Yondaime Hokage sealed me, so I don't know. I don't really remember anything from when I was a fox." Naruto said, not looking into Zabuza's eyes. Zabuza walked up to the blonde. Then, for the second time in the week, Naruto felt some one pound him on the head and his face met the ground.

"OWW. Why does everybody keep doing that?" Naruto said, on the ground.

"Probably because you say stupid things, gaki." Zabuza growled at the boy. "You ain't no demon, brat. You're a jinchuuriki."

"A genie- what?" Naruto asked as he looked up.

Zabuza gave Naruto another 'pat' on the head and Naruto's face was greeted by the ground again.

"What does that mean Zabuza-sama?" This time, it was Haku who asked.

Naruto looked up from the ground. He wanted to know as well. _ What does he mean that I'm not a demon, but a genie-chikie?_

Zabuza looked at his follower. "He is not the demon, but a container to store or lock away the actual demon. His kind are called jinchuuriki, like the Yondaime Mizukage." Haku nodded as he understood. He had heard about the Mizukage from Zabuza-sama. He was the man who was responsible for the discontent that had led to civil wars in Kirigakure no sato. He was the man Zabuza-sama had tried to kill and failed, causing him to run away and become a nukenin.

"I don't understand."

Both Zabuza and Haku looked at the blonde who had by now managed to sit up. The blond looked like he was pouting. Zabuza felt an itch in his hand that he was sure would go away if he pounded the blonde back into the ground. However, if the kid was the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, he had untold potential as a tool. A tool he could use against the Mizukage. The Kyuubi was the most powerful bijuu. Even if the boy and Mizukage ended up killing each other, he would win. He needed the boy to join him and become his loyal tool. For that, he would have to show some patience. He sighed and tried to think of a way to explain.

"You are not the Kyuubi, gaki. You are just a human who was unfortunate enough to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Think of yourself as a sacrifice to the demon." Zabuza said. Naruto nodded his head, but said.

"I still don't understand."

Zabuza's hand twitched towards **Kubikiribōchō**. He fought the urge to slice the boy's head off. _How could anyone be so stupid_? Perhaps the boy really had fallen on his head as a baby.

"You are not the demon itself, but merely its prison." Zabuza tried again. He saw that the blonde didn't get it this time either. He sighed and sat down on his haunches next to Naruto. He took Kubikiribōchō off his shoulder and laid it on the ground.

"See this sword, kid?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"Think of the Kyuubi as this sword, ok?"

"Um- OK."

"Now, watch."

Zabuza lifted the arm cloth on his left arm back up to his elbows. Naruto noticed a weird design on the man's forearm. It looked familiar to things he had seen in the academy books. Inside the design were two swords in the shape of an X. Zabuza bit his thumb and smeared some blood on the design and then made a few hand seals and slammed his open palm into the design. There was a poof and some smoke, and Zabuza was holding a thin white scroll in the hand he had slammed into the design. The scroll looked very old and had exquisite design on it. On it was written 'Kubikiribōchō' on a drawing of the sword that Zabuza had put on the ground.

"Cool." Naruto said, his eyes widening. Haku smiled at the awe of the blonde.

"Shut up and watch kid, I'm not going to do it again." Zabuza said as he laid the scroll next to the sword. "Now think of this scroll as you. The scroll is a separate entity from the sword. You agree?"

"Yeah." Naruto nodded.

"Now pretend that the sword is the Kyuubi, the scroll is you and I am the Yondaime Hokage-."

"But Yondaime Hokage had yellow hair."

"…."

"…."

"Kid."

"Yeah?"

"Just shut up."

"Ok."

Zabuza took in a deep breath to control his desire to just kill the brat and be done with it.

"Just pretend that I am the Hokage, and I am going to seal the Kyuubi in you, ok? Now watch."

Zabuza made a line of blood from his thumb on the blade, followed by a few hand seals, and slammed his hand onto the sword. The sword vanished in a puff of smoke. The markings on the scroll turned red, contrasting against the white of the background. Zabuza looked at the blonde.

"I just sealed Kubikiribōchō inside the scroll. The same way, your Hokage sealed the demon inside you." Zabuza explained. "While the scroll is not the sword, it carries the sword. If I want to give you my sword, I can just give you the scroll and add your blood to the blood seal binding the scroll shut, and you can summon the sword. If you have the scroll, you have the sword. If I burn the scroll, the sword is lost too. You can say that the scroll is now, for all event and purposes, the sword."

"That means that sword is the scroll, doesn't it?" Naruto asked. Zabuza nodded and said.

"I said that you could say that, but it truly is not the sword. If you try to fight me with the scroll, you'd die faster than you can say Mizukage. " Zabuza picked up the scroll and tossed into the air and catching it. He looked at Naruto again. "Understand now, gaki?"

Naruto nodded slowly. "It means that I am not the Kyuubi, only used to stop him, but like the scroll and the sword, the Kyuubi is me. While I am not the Kyuubi, the Kyuubi, for all events and purposes, is me?" He looked at Zabuza tentatively. Zabuza nodded. "So, because I ran away from Konoha, the Kyuubi is also not there?" Zabuza nodded again. It seemed that the gaki had finally understood. The blonde sat pondering for a while.

"So, why do all the villagers say that I am the demon?" he asked.

"Because they are fools, the lot of them. Civilians rarely understand the workings of Fuuinjutsu as most of the time, even ninja don't get Fuuinjutsu." Zabuza said softly. It made Naruto's hair rise on his neck. Zabuza started emitting a faint Killing Intent. "Dumb villagers just like to call you names." For a moment Naruto got the impression that Zabuza was no longer talking about Konoha.

It was Haku who brought up the subject of the future, breaking the tense atmosphere.

"What are we going to do now, Zabuza-sama? Originally you only agreed to let me take care of him until he was conscious again."

Zabuza glanced at the blonde who looked up towards the bandaged ninja. Zabuza asked him.

"Well, gaki? Do you want to learn from me?" He asked.

Naruto's eyes widened as he asked, " You will teach me? Why?"

Zabuza was taken aback. He hadn't expected to be questioned. The boy was sharp, no matter how much he acted like a fool. Zabuza decided to be frank.

"I ran away from my village because I couldn't beat the man responsible for the ruin of my village. As long as he remains in power, I will be hunted. If I have strong Shinobi with me, I will be able to fight them off, and one day, fight that man again and take back my village from him." Zabuza looked into the blue eyes of the blonde. "You have an unmatched potential gaki. You may very well be a key player in my siege on Kiri. You said you wanted to become a shinobi, but any village that you approach will either turn you away and inform Konoha out of fear from retaliation from your former village, or will treat you like a leper while using you as a secret weapon against Konoha."

Naruto thought about Zabuza's point. He looked up and said, " How is that different from what you want ?"

Zabuza smiled evilly. "It isn't, gaki, but I will treat you like I treat every other man under my command, unlike those villages, who will hate you for what you are. But I warn you, If you want my acknowledgement, you'll have to earn it."

This made Naruto grin as he said "Okay."

Zabuza held out his hand. "Then we have a deal. From one demon to another."

Naruto grinned even wider and shook his new sensei's hand. Suddenly, Zabuza pulled Naruto towards himself and kneed him in the guts. As Naruto fell to the ground, coughing and clutching his stomach, Zabuza said, "Lesson #1: Never trust another shinobi so easily."

Zabuza turned and started to walk off. "I am a hard teacher. By this time next week, you are going to want to give up." He warned.

"I'll never give up." Naruto wheezed from the ground as Haku tried to help him up.

* * *

_I wish I could give up. _Naruto thought for the sixth day in succession as he lay on the ground, every inch of his body screaming in pain. Zabuza hadn't been kidding when he had said he was a harsh teacher. He obviously belonged to the school of 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.'

After Naruto had come with them to their current base in the Earth country, he had found that there were around nine more people in the base. All of them wore mist hitai-ate. Haku told him that they were followers of Zabuza sensei who had left with him because they had been part of the coup-d'état. Most of them were ok, except for two twins- Gozu and Meizu. Those two were sadistic little bastards and they loved to pick on Naruto and Haku. All the others kept to themselves and to their own village comrades. They rarely spoke to either Naruto or Haku.

Naruto had been very excited to begin his training. Zabuza-sensei had started his training. He had decided to test his stamina. Naruto had ended up surprising everyone with his never ending stamina. Zabuza-sensei had merely laughed and made his training even tougher. He was started on physical training before Haku was to teach him how to mold chakra. It was another thing that had earned Naruto a whallop into the ground. Zabuza had said that he should just disown Naruto for thinking that chakra was called chatara. He had also said that he pitied any fool who had the misfortune to be Naruto's teacher at the academy. (Somewhere far away, Iruka had a sneezing fit in his classroom.)

What Zabuza had planned for Naruto was a grueling series of physical exercises that left the blonde too tired to stand. He would walk in once or twice in a day and throw a critical eye over Naruto and leave. This had happened for seven days. By now, Naruto was sure that he wouldn't survive another week of this, but he didn't want to give his merciless teacher the satisfaction of watching him whine.

He saw Zabuza-sensei's feet approaching as he lay stomach-first, exhausted, on the ground.

"Rest now, gaki. Tomorrow you start chakra training." Then the feet retreated.

Naruto wanted to jump in joy. _Finally. _His aching body denied him his wish. Instead, he satisfied himself with a small "YAY!" before Haku hoisted him in a fireman's carry and took him to the room the two boys shared.

* * *

**Some translations:**

******Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu= Earth Release: Tracking fang Technique.**

**Kubikiribōchō= ****Decapitating Carving Knife**** Or more popularly known as ****Executioner's blade****. The big ass sword Zabuza has.**

**Fuuinjutsu = Sealing jutsu.**

**Author's notes:  
**

**Soooooooo, how was it? Didi you guys like it? If you did, drop me a line in review.  
**

**I like the way how Sarutobi was so badass with Danzo. I just hate it when in the anime or manga, storymakers make ANBU seem like cannon fodder. I agree that Kabuto or Deidera are strong, but to show them killing off multiple ANBU single handedly is going too far. Deidera i can grudgingly agree. The guy is a S-rank bomber, but Kabuto? Really? All the guy has is chakra scalpels and regeneration. One ANBU, caught by surprise, fine. Entire SQUAD? HELL NO! In my story, expect the ANBU to be exactly what they are; Elite of the Elite. So don't be surprised if the ANBU seem more badass than the anime.  
**

**I hope the way Naruto joins the missing nin is all right.  
**

**Also VERY IMPORTANT: I had some people asking me if it was going to be femHaku or Yaoi or shounenai. **

**Answer: NO!**

**Also, Naruto is just eleven. He won't have any pairings until he is fourteen, at the very LEAST, if he has any at all. Even if he does, it will be a side dish, not affecting the main story at all.  
**

**So, Once again, as I say my goodbyes, Please Review.  
**

**I'll be back by 17th with a new chapter.  
**


	5. Lessons Learnt, Bonds forged

**Hey guys... I've finished another chapter. Actually the chapter I was writing got really long, so I'm dividing it into two. This here is the first. The second will probably be done by monday. Sorry for this smaller chapter but the next will make up for it :-)**

**Another thing, Thank you to everyone who favorite-d and/or are following ToF... Also, to all the people who reviewed- Thanks so much. I tried to reply to everyone but if I missed someone, Thank you for your words. **

**Please continue to share your views on this story. All the reviews really motivate me to work better...**

**Read and Enjoy... **

* * *

**Chapter 5: Lessons Learnt, Bonds forged**

Two boys stood next to a waterfall.

"Chakra is made up of two things- physical energy and spiritual energy. The training you were doing for the past week, was to build your physical energy. Today we are going to start on spiritual energy." Haku explained to an energetic Naruto, who was rocking on his feet in excitement. Naruto was very, very excited. Every ninja used chakra to do the cool moves he had heard about.

"Are you even listening to me, Naruto-kun.?" Haku asked, bemused.

"Yeah, Yeah!" Naruto waved his hand, "Can't we skip to the cool jutsu part, dattebayo?"

"No, Naruto-kun. To reach the 'cool jutsu part' as you say, you must have this knowledge. Without this, even if you manage to mold chakra and do jutsu, your jutsu will always be weaker than someone who has better control of his spiritual energy. " Haku shook his head.

"Eh?- I don't understand." Naruto made a confused face.

Haku sighed. He was beginning to understand what Zabuza-sama had told him. _The brat doesn't understand the theory, but show him once, and he will get it. _

"Okay, I will try to show you with an example." Haku said to the blonde. "Have you seen the mist jutsu that the demon brothers do?"

Naruto nodded. During a training given to him by Zabuza-sensei, he had to manage not getting caught by those two for an hour. After he had managed to get away for the fifth time in a row, the brothers had used the mist jutsu to reduce his vision. Naruto had run into a tree while running away from them after a while.

"They are a little stronger physically, than me. Do you agree?" Haku asked as Naruto nodded, wondering where Haku was going with this. "Now watch."

Haku made a single handed hand seal. "This is the half Ram seal. This seal can be used for concentrating on your chakra, when less concentration is needed. For beginners like you, you must use the full Ram seal." Naruto nodded.

"**Ninpou: Kirigakure no jutsu**" Haku said and suddenly, a thick mist began forming in the area. Within a few seconds, Naruto was totally surrounded by mist. Naruto's eyes widened. This mist was way thicker than what he had been in when the Demon brothers had used this jutsu.

"Do you see a difference?" Haku's voice floated in the mist, directionless. It was as if the voice was coming from multiple directions at once. The demon brothers' voices had not done that. He had been able to guess their direction.

"Yeah." Naruto said as he extended his arms in front of him. He couldn't even see beyond his forearm, and his fist was hidden in the mist. "How are you doing this?"

"This is what I am trying to tell you, Naruto-kun. Even if they have more physical energy than me, because I control my spiritual energy better, my jutsu is stronger." Haku's voice floated from somewhere far away.

"By spreading my chakra in the mist I can bounce my voice to different directions." Naruto jumped as Haku's voice sounded from right behind him. The mist lifted as Naruto turned quickly to see that Haku was smiling behind him.

"Coooool" Naruto said, his eyes shining.

"So you see, Naruto-kun? It is necessary that you harness your spiritual energy as well." Haku said to the blonde.

"How do I do that?" Naruto asked, rocking on his heels.

Haku smiled and tilted his head to one side. He knew the blonde was not going to like what he was about to hear. "By meditating, Naruto-kun."

"WHAT?" Naruto yelled as his jaw fell open.

Haku chuckled as Naruto presented a very comical figure, his mouth hanging and his body twitching in an unexpressed emotion. "So, let's begin." Haku said.

* * *

Naruto returned to his room later in the evening, exhausted. He had been forced to sit still and focus on a small drop of water that Haku had placed in his hands. Naruto had been barely able to feel a small pulse of warmth in his belly by the time Haku had decided to call it a day.

While Naruto had been trying to meditate, Haku had also been training himself in his unique ice jutsu. When he had let Naruto leave, he had decided to train for some more time, so Naruto had returned to the base alone.

As Naruto finished the food he had brought into his room from the dinner area, he tried to think what to do until Haku returned. He sat down on his bed and was staring at the opposite wall until a thought stuck him.

_Of course, I still haven't been able to look at all the stuff I brought from that fool's house._ It was true. Ever since he had joined the nukenin group, he had barely managed to walk after his training for the day was over. Naruto jumped of the bed and reached out under it to take out the bag pack. He put it on the bed and looked inside it. He had brought the hidden scrolls and a few others from the scroll rack in his teacher's house. He laid all of them out on his bed and looked at them. He was itching to look at the scrolls with the powerful jutsu, but he knew that until he got the hang of molding chakra, it would be of no use. He put them back in. Left on the bed were scrolls of the three academy jutsu, a scroll on chakra molding and a scroll on different elemental types. Naruto decided to read the scroll on chakra molding.

Naruto put the other scrolls away and began reading. After half an hour, Haku came back and found Naruto frowning over a scroll. He was surprised. Somehow, he hadn't pegged Naruto to be a reader. Naruto noticed that his friend had returned and made a face.

"Hey Haku. Come here a minute. What does all this mean?" Naruto held out the scroll. Haku walked up to his friend and sat down next to him and peered into the scroll. As Haku read the scroll, Haku understood why Naruto was having trouble understanding the text. The scroll used many technical terms like 'chakra pathways', 'tenketsu' and 'chakra center'. Haku looked up to the blonde and nodded.

"This scroll uses many technical terms of human anatomy, Naruto-kun. This is a scroll for advanced Chakra control studies." Haku said as he got up. He walked over to his bed and kneeled to reach for something underneath it. He took out another scroll and held it out to Naruto.

"This is a beginner's scroll on Chakra studies."

Naruto took the scroll and opened it. The scroll looked old and had writings in the side margins. Haku looked at the writing and said apologetically, "I'm sorry about the writing, Naruto kun. I wrote some stuff down that I didn't understand the first time in my own language. I never thought that anybody else would be reading from the scroll."

Naruto read for a minute and looked up surprised.

"But the things you wrote are easier to understand than the original. You are really awesome, Haku. I'm glad you're my friend." He said to his embarrased friend and jumped up to slap Haku on the back.

"No-no, Naruto-kun. It's just that I thought the way it was written was too difficult to understand." Haku managed to say.

Naruto shook his head. "No. If I was reading this, I wouldn't have been able to understand it without your explanations." Naruto smiled and fell back on his bed to began reading again. Haku went through a small length of the first scroll that Naruto had dumped back on his bed. He read the index of contents. The scroll was very interesting. It contained many Chakra uses that Haku could use if he trained, Haku looked up to his friend. "Naruto-kun."

"Ummm ?" Naruto said without looking up from his scroll.

"Can I read this scroll? It will be helpful to me." Haku asked.

"Wow, you can understand that stuff?" Naruto looked up in surprise. Haku nodded.

"Yeah, sure." Naruto said looking back to his own scroll. "If there is anything for me in it, teach me , 'kay?"

"Okay, Naruto-kun." Haku said, going back to the scroll. The scroll also touched on the basics of medical chakra uses. Haku glanced back at the contents. This scroll was very interesting indeed. The disadvantage of living with a well-known nukenin was that you couldn't just waltz into a ninja villages' library for stuff like this. On the black market, scrolls like this one were priced too high as most nukenin were already chuunin or higher level ninja, and it was rare to find such stuff.

Naruto was also immersed in the scroll Haku had given him. In spite of Haku's protests, Naruto could see that Haku had a flair for simplifying the complicated language of the scroll. It was easy for Naruto to understand what Haku had jotted down in the margins. In many places, Haku had even crossed out some text and written different examples and practice techniques.

Neither boys realized how late it was until Zabuza came in and saw both boys reading scrolls. He asked Haku for Naruto's progress and once satisfied, left the boys to their reading. Haku glanced at the clock and was amazed to find that it was almost midnight. He suggested they sleep as Naruto's training began by dawn's early light. Naruto agreed as he half-heartedly closed his scroll and went to sleep.

Naruto woke up earlier than he needed to. All night he had dreams of chakra molding exercises. He got out of bed and saw that he still had an hour before he had to start his training. He switched on the small table lamp that Haku kept next to his bed and opened the scroll he had been reading the night before. He quickly found where he had left off. He read a simple chakra focusing technique and started to practice. In a small while, he felt a familiar warmth in his gut. It was what the exercise was meant to do. He picked up the scroll and read what Haku had written next.

Naruto formed the Ram seal and started to concentrate on that warm feeling. He tried to imagine swirling it inside his gut. For a while, nothing happened, but very slowly the warm feeling started to move. Naruto tried to continue, but he had to stop as he had become exhausted by his continuous focusing on the warmth.

Naruto was trying for the third time when Haku woke up.

"How long have you been up for, Naruto-kun?" He asked.

"Just a little while, Haku. I was trying your exercises."

"Any progress?"

"Not really. It's really tough –ttebayo."

"Don't worry, you are doing very well for a beginner. You will surely be able to do this in a few days."

* * *

_Three days later_

"Very good, Naruto-kun." Haku said, impressed as Naruto molded chakra using the Ram seal. "I did not expect you to be able to do this in just three days."

Naruto grinned as he stopped and looked up from his position on the ground. "I know, right? I have just been doing what you had written down in your scroll. When I started feeling the warmth in my stomach, I just imagined the warm energy mixing with my entire body. I got the hang of it yesterday, and now I can do it easily. It doesn't even feel that warm now."

Haku smiled at his friend's lack of modesty. "That is because your body is slowly recognizing it as chakra and letting it flow freely using your chakra pathways."

"What is that?" Naruto asked. Haku sat down as he tried to explain the meanings to his friend. The ice user spent the better part of the next our explaining the basic system of Chakra in the body. Naruto kept nodding and asked questions when he failed to grasp the concept.

"You mean that if my chakra was blood, the heart would be the chakra center, and the chakra pathways the little tubes in which the blood flows?" he asked in the end.

"Yes, Naruto-kun." Haku nodded. "Every living thing has chakra flowing through it. Even before today, chakra was present in your body, but it was not enough to perform ninja jutsus."

"So now what do I do?" Naruto asked Haku.

"Now, Naruto-kun, you practice molding chakra until you can do it with a half Ram seal."

Haku went back to his chakra control exercises as Naruto returned to his Chakra molding.

Sitting in a tree at some distance, Zabuza grinned as he saw the latest addition to his group do in three days what Haku had taken a week to do. His instincts had been right. The boy was going to be really strong one day. He had been impressed by the stamina the blonde had shown. That monstrous stamina meant that the boy had exceptional chakra reserves. If the boy learned to harness it properly, the boy could soon rise to the spot of the third best in the group, behind himself and Haku. A few ninjutsu techniques were required before that, of course, but the way the boy was picking up tricks, Zabuza knew that within a month or so, he would be ready. The boy now needed to work on his speed and hand to hand combat.

He decided that it was time to check the results for himself. He made a seal and he poofed into a mist hunter nin. He shunshined into the clearing. Haku immediately recognized the danger and jumped up, fully alert. Naruto took some time as he had been concentrating very hard on his chakra, but as soon as he saw his friend take a tense stance, he too jumped up and joined Haku. Zabuza looked critically at the poor stance the blonde had slid in. Either the boy had been not taught at all, or he had been taught wrong. He decided to scare them.

"Well well, look at what we have here. Two little boys trying to act like shinobi." Zabuza said as Haku made a hand seal to use Kirigakure no jutsu but the nukenin disguised as a hunter nin interrupted him.

"Are you sure you want to do that, boy? It looks like your blonde friend isn't well versed in the shinobi arts right now. You may escape, but he will surely die by my hands." Zabuza knew that Haku would not leave his friend behind. True to his prediction, Haku stopped.

Haku tried to think of a way to save his friend and himself. He knew that he and Naruto were no match for an elite hunter nin. Haku looked at the blonde from the corner of his eyes. He, himself could manage to lose the mist nin if they ran, but Naruto was nowhere fast enough. The boy would be caught and probably tortured for information.

"Naruto-kun." Haku said as he resolved himself.

"What? You got a plan?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. I will hold him here while you run." Haku said slowly as Naruto did a double take.

"WHAT? NO WAY."

Zabuza laughed. He had expected Haku to do this. The boy was still too soft for his own good.

"You think you can hold me off, little boy?" He taunted his student.

"Long enough to let my friend escape. That is all that matters." Haku breathed.

"No, dattebayo. I won't leave you here, Haku." Naruto yelled as he came closer to Haku.

"You must, Naruto-kun. You are not fast enough to outrun him in a straight chase. But, if I hold him here for some time, you can escape."

"No way, dattebayo. We fight together." Naruto was adamant, but Haku didn't budge either.

"This is the only way."

Zabuza waited as the boys continued to persuade each other. He had expected the blonde to run away. His plan had been based on the fact that he would chase the boy to measure the progress in his training. But, here he was, standing next to his other student, trying to act tough. Very well, the boy needed to learn the harsh reality about the life of nukenin.

"You must listen to me and run Naruto-kun. Trus-" Haku was saying as a foot connected to his face and he flew backwards into the small water body next to the waterfall. Zabuza followed the boy and said as he finished a few hand seals, "**Suiton : Suirō no Jutsu**."

The water formed into a sphere as it enveloped Haku. Naruto could only look in surprise and anxiety as Haku got trapped inside the Water prison. Zabuza laughed a really creepy laugh.

"What will you do now, boy? Your friend is trapped in my jutsu. He will die unless you can do something about it."

Naruto cursed loudly as he tried to think of a way to free his friend. The hunter was standing on water, a little distance away from the ground. _I can't stand on water… _Naruto thought as he panicked. _I need him to come here._

"Come here and fight me, bastard." He yelled.

"Why should I?" the masked nin asked Naruto.

Naruto was getting desperate when suddenly, Ice picks extended from the water prison towards the masked nin. The hunter jumped away from the sphere, releasing the jutsu.

_Damn! How could I forget about the ice?,_ Zabuza thought as he twisted in the air to land on the water away from the boy.

"Haku!" Naruto yelled as the boy jumped back onto land next to Naruto. His nose was bleeding from the kick he had taken to his face.

Haku formed a quick series of seals and shouted, "**Hijutsu : Sensatsu Suishō.**"

All the water on Haku lumped together to form needles and soared towards the hunter with great speed. The hunter jumped back and threw a few shuriken to counter the needles. Some of the needles were deflected while the others continued on their way. The hunter took out a Kunai and deflected all that were coming at him. The hunter rushed through a series of hand seals and said, "**Suiton : Mizurappa**."

The hunter nin let out a huge blast of water from his mouth, rupturing the mask beneath his nose. The water blast was about to hit Naruto when Haku grabbed the blonde and jumped up to avoid the water. He was slowed down by the blonde's weight and his right side was hit by the water. As Naruto and Haku landed on the ground, Naruto noticed that Haku was panting and his right arm was twitching with pain.

"HAKU!" Naruto yelled and tried to come in front of the injured boy, but Haku pushed him back.

"No, Naruto-kun. You are not strong enough to be able to fight him. I implore you, please run away. Leave me behind."

"You are not strong enough either." Naruto argued. "You are also hurt."

Haku turned to look at his friend and smiled. "You are a precious friend, Naruto-kun. I do not want to see you get hurt."

"How does that help you- dattebayo?" Naruto was almost in tears at his uselessness.

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun. When people protect their precious people, it is only then that they become truly strong. I will become strong because I have to protect you. Protecting those precious to me is my **nindō.**" Haku smiled at him.

"How touching. You do realize that the girly boy will die because you are too weak to help, Blondie? If only you were a little less useless." The hunter nin taunted Naruto.

"Shut up." Haku said fiercely as he clapped his hands together and held them like that. " **Hijutsu : Hissatsu Hyōsō**."

Instantly, a lot of ice spears formed in the water and rushed to the hunter nin. Zabuza cursed as the ice spears almost got him. He quickly made a water bunshin that threw multiple kunai at Naruto. A few ice spears formed in front of Naruto to block the kunai, but a single kunai managed to pierce Naruto's arm. Naruto screamed as Haku turned to his friend for a second, but the damage was done. Haku had to change his focus to Naruto's defense and in the meantime, the hunter nin bounded into the trees.

_Time to up the level. _Zabuza thought as he performed the Kirigakure jutsu.

Both boys huddled together as the dense mist formed around them. The hunter's laughter echoed in the mist as a very potent Killer intent filed the area. Naruto felt himself paralyzed with fear. He couldn't even bring himself to breathe. Beside him, Haku was fine, just a little intimidated. Haku took out a kunai and handed it to Naruto. He took out a few senbon in one hand and a kunai in the other. Both boys were waiting with bated breaths as they heard the hunter taunt Naruto.

"You should have run, little boy, when you had the chance. At least you would have survived a few more minutes."

Naruto gritted his teeth as he glanced to his injured partner. Haku was panting from using two of his Ice jutsu in quick succession while injured. Those jutsu still consumed a lot of his chakra.

"Dammit!" Naruto cursed. "Why am I so useless, Haku?"

"You are not useless, Naruto-kun. You just need time. Even Kiri was not built in a day."

"I swear Haku, when we get out of this mess, I will work hard to become strong so that I can protect you next time." Naruto said as Haku managed a weak smile. He nodded and said, " Don't break your promise Naruto-kun."

Naruto took some of the blood from his wound into his hand and closed his fist to let the blood smear his palm. "I swear on my blood, on the pain I feel, that I will never go back on my word. This will be my nindō."

Zabuza laughed as he heard this exchange. He had to give it to the brats, they were courageous. It was time he shook their faith.

" Your leader ran as soon as our squad attacked your base." Zabuza Taunted. He had said this to further increase the hopelessness felt by the two. So, he was surprised when the blonde's yell floated to him.

"What a load of crap!"

Zabuza narrowed his eyes and asked in a very dangerous voice, "What did you say, brat?"

Again, Naruto's voice sounded in the mist. "I said, what a load of crap. As if Zabuza-sensei would run from weaklings like you. He must be making a plan right now to come save us."

Zabuza was surprised at the boy's declaration. Had he ever implied that he would come to their rescue if they were foolish enough to get caught? Not in his memory. Instead of thinking about it, Zabuza just asked.

"Why would he?"

"Because he is our sensei and he is not afraid of anyone." Naruto's voice came back.

"You fool. That is not reason enough." Zabuza threw back at him. "This the Demon Zabuza we are talking about. If you think he cares about you any more than a tool, you are sorely mistaken. Do you even know why he is called the Demon of the bloody mist? He killed over a hundred kids your age when he was just eleven to become a ninja. He doesn't care for anybody."

Zabuza waited for any retort or declarations that he was lying. None came. Zabuza was conscious of a strange feeling, he couldn't really place. It wasn't disappointment, was it? Nah! Even if it was, it was because the kid couldn't think of something witty to say. The next reply from Naruto was so feint that he almost missed it.

"He must have been so lonely."

"What did you say?" Zabuza asked, completely stunned into immobility.

"I said, he must have been so lonely. If he could bring himself to kill at such a young age, he must have suffered so much. I know, because I have felt it too." Naruto's low voice could be heard in the mist. "Even I wanted to kill all those who left me alone, treated me like I wasn't good enough for them to be friends with me. Every time they looked at me with those hateful eyes, I wanted to gouge them out."

Zabuza couldn't believe what he was hearing. The brat could have been narrating Zabuza's young life in Kiri for all the difference there was in the treatment. He had known that Naruto's life had been difficult from what he had heard the blonde tell his roommate. Zabuza shook his head as he returned to the situation at hand.

"You are just trying to make excuses. He is a demon. He has always been a merciless killer who would kill even you if it served his purpose." He argued with the boy.

"No." Naruto's voice sounded solemn in the mist. "No one is born a killer. Hokage-jiji told me this once. It is later in life that we choose our paths. I could have as easily chosen the same path as Zabuza-sensei if I did not have any one to show me any kindness. There were days when I wanted to burn everyone who treated me like dirt for something that I didn't even know. I would just bottle my anger and pretend that I didn't care, but I would be angry, so angry that I didn't care who I hurt. At one such time, Hokage-jiji came to my house. How he knew I was angry I don't know, but he came. He came in and gave me a hug. He didn't say anything. He just picked me up and hugged me. I cried so hard that night, in his arms. He just stood there for a long time. Then he took me to the Hokage tower's roof. That night he told me about all the great Hokage who had their faces on the mountain wall. It was early morning when he finally dropped me back to my house."

Zabuza listened quietly to the blonde.

"I wonder, if he hadn't come then, or all the other times, would I be the same as Zabuza-sensei? If I hadn't met Iruka sensei, or the other kind pony tailed oji-san who looks like Shikamaru, if the pretty black haired lady didn't sometimes drop by to cook me some nice food, even if she made me promise never to tell anyone, or if some kids like Shikamaru, Chouji or Kiba didn't treat me like a friend, I might have chosen to walk on the same path as sensei. So I understand."

Zabuza was suddenly assaulted with an instinct to run away from here. Just go away and later pretend that this never happened. He could remember the villagers shunning him because of the weird shape of his teeth. All of them sharp to a point. He could easily snap the bones in the food, that he would scavenge, into two.

"He was not born a demon. He became a demon because his villagers called him one until he believed them. I believed I was a demon too. It was Zabuza sensei who told me that I was just a normal human who was unfortunate enough to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. He saved me from my own self." Naruto's voice became louder with each sentence, filled with conviction. "But he was alone. No one came to him with kindness, so he decided that he didn't need any. But now, he has me and Haku. We will follow him wherever he goes, even to hell. He will never be alone again. That is why, I believe. I believe that he will come for us. He will come and pound your ass into the ground." Naruto's voice took an excited tone. "Awesome doesn't even begin to describe my sensei. He-" Naruto was cut off as a he felt a sharp pain at the base of his neck and he fell. Haku tried to dodge but he too was soon rendered unconscious.

The mist lifted as two small bodies came in view, huddled on the ground. A tall masked man stood over them. In a poof of smoke, the masked man was replaced by a man with the lover half of his face bandaged.

Zabuza looked down at the blonde, who lay unconscious on the ground. The blonde had been getting too close for Zabuza's comfort, so he knocked them both out. He couldn't help but think as he stooped down to check on both of them._ You are an interesting little orange eyesore, Uzumaki Naruto. _

No one had ever managed to disturb Zabuza as much as Naruto had done. He was still bent over Naruto when the blonde's eyes flickered and opened. Zabuza was again surprised by the blonde's resilience. The blonde looked up to him and gave a weak smile as he said, "I knew you'd come, sensei. Did you teach that bastard a lesson?"

Zabuza blinked and replied slowly, "Yeah! He won't be bothering us ever again. Now rest, gaki."

Naruto closed his eyes and passed out again.

Zabuza sighed as he hoisted the blonde up on his shoulder and Haku on his side under his other arm. He started back to the base.

* * *

**Translations:**

**Ninpou: Kirigakure no jutsu= Ninja Art : Hidden Mist Technique**

**Hijutsu : Sensatsu Suishō= Hidden Technique : Thousand Flying Needles of Death**

**Suiton : Suirō no Jutsu= Water Release : Water Prison Technique**

**Nindō = Way of the ninja.**

**A/N:-  
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**So... I hope you guys liked it. As the manga doesn't provide a backstory for Zabuza, I came up with one of my own. I have always liked Zabuza's character. He is my fifth fav character in the Narutoverse, which is pretty high as he is competing with big names like Kakashi, Itachi and Jiraiya. Sooo anyways, I thought, if ten minutes on the bridge with Naruto could change Zabuza so much that he died avanging Haku's memory in the manga, a month of living under the same roof should do just fine in my story. This will mark the change in Zabuza that will lead to very important events later on in the story. Consider this the point where it all truly started to change for Naruto.**

**I hope the fight scene didn't suck too much. I never knew how hard it was to do those TT-TT . I'm going to try and do better as I write further. If any of you have any tips for writing fights, Please share, I will try to learn from you...  
**

**Moving on to another thing... 10 points to anyone who correctly guesses the identity of the "Lady" mentioned by Naruto.  
**

**On another related note, I've also finished the artwork I promised to you guys and now I'm waiting to reach the 75 mark on the reviews. :-)  
**

**Please Review :-D  
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	6. Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū

**Another chapter, as promised. I didn't get the time to reply to the reviews so I'm doing it now-**

**LincDawg: Thanks... I'm going to focusing this chapter on Zabuza. So, Enjoy. Let me know how if you like it.  
**

**TigrezzTail: I'm glad you like it. I'm pretty sure Zabuza was surprised too. :-)  
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**Maybe2Morrow: In my opinion, Zabuza is a person who communicates with fights, like Naruto. I also thought about an actual hunter nin saying all that but I didn't see a hunter nin standing still and listening to Naruto's monologue. By the way, about the Lady, you're right. :-) As promised 10 points to you. Also, I'll PM you the link to the artwork before I post the next chapter as a bonus so you get a sneak peek. :-D  
**

**Shadow-Arashi:  Thank you... Your words have really helped motivate me to work harder...  
**

**SinOfDisaster: I know, right? Although he died soon aftr in the manga, I have always been curious what would have happened if he hadn't...  
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**rivereagles999: Thank you... If you find any errors in the story, please point them out so I can better my work... Constructive criticism is always welcome. :-)  
**

**darkhuntressxir:  Damn right he is!  
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**Guest reviewer: I know that many people use Zabuza as a neccessary side kick to use Haku in their stories, but Zabuza plays a crucial role in mine. So, if you are a Zabuza fan, this one is right for you. :-)  
**

**serialkellar: Ahhh... about that.. unfortunately that will happen eventually. as that is neccessary for my plot, BUT that is quite some time away, so I hope you will continue to read the story.. Don't worry, he won't take crap from people.  
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**BalancedHex1232: Thank you for your support. These motivate me to work better. :-)  
**

**fanficreader71: Thank you for your continued reviews and support. I hope you find this one to your liking as well.  
**

**Simgr101: Thank you for your review. I must say, I really look forward to hearing from you after I post any chapters. You are my favorite reviewer. Thank you for your suggestions and encouragement.  
**

**Cloudy Momochi: Heheh.. Thanks.  
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**Tahere-Ravenword: Thanks... I hope my story manages to keep your interest .  
**

**Faeryl36: I'm glad you see that way too. I hope you continue to like this story.  
**

**Now, Here it is... the next one.  
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**Please review, it makes me happy!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 6 : Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū**

Naruto and Haku ran side by side, behind Zabuza. After Zabuza had returned with them to base a month ago, They had moved from the Earth country to a new place, the Land of Sugarcane. Here, after three weeks, they had been informed that a client wanted to approach them for a mission. The mission had been a simple one. He had wanted his uncle assassinated. His uncle had killed his parents when he was a child to take over the family fortune. Usually, a mission of this level would have been assigned to a chuunin level ninja in the group, but Zabuza had taken this mission himself and had allowed both the boys to accompany him.

Zabuza had told Naruto to run as fast as he could in order to see the progress in his speed. Naruto had managed to increase his speed, but it was still a long way off from Haku's. They had reached their destination in three days, with Naruto trying to go as fast as his body allowed him. Zabuza had nodded satisfied. Naruto's speed was increasing gradually.

As Zabuza had left to complete the assassination, he had told both boys to run around the perimeter of the town to do speed training. He had given Naruto some weights to wear on his legs and arms. After the mission had been completed, Zabuza had returned and after day's rest, told them to follow him as he took off in a different direction than their way back, Naruto's weights still on.

After a while, curiosity got the better of Naruto and he asked, " Ne-ne Zabuza-sensei, where are we going?"

Zabuza didn't bother looking back and replied, "Someplace where I need to get some things to make you a better ninja."

Naruto almost burst with excitement at this knowledge. He bombarded Zabuza with questions until Zabuza threatened to tie and gag him for the rest of the way. Finally, they reached a small town.

"Stick close to me, both of you. This is a town that is famous for its lawlessness. This village lies in a contested land between the land of Flowers and the land of Cotton, neither country has a shinobi village, just a few separate shinobi clans so they can't deal with this town. This makes it a haven for nukenin. Many will attack you if you even look at them wrong and I am not in the mood to save you from them."

"Hai, Zabuza-sama."

"Where are we going, sensei?"

"To see an old acquaintance of mine. Now shut up."

The three of them walked on as Naruto and Haku looked around them. Even the streets of the town were filled with shinobi with different headbands. Many had symbols that Naruto had never seen. Naruto was very interested and wanted to ask questions but he refrained as he caught Zabuza-sensei's frown. Naruto bumped into Zabuza as the man stopped but the boy continued forward.

"Watch it, gaki" Zabuza growled at the boy.

"Sorry-sorry, I was too busy looking around and I didn't notice you had stopped, sensei." Naruto said as he grinned. He glanced at the window where a 'CLOSED' sign was displayed. Zabuza disregarded the sign as he tried the door. It was open .Zabuza grinned as he entered the little shop. As soon as he had entered, a kunai flew towards him. Zabuza stopped it by inserting his finger in the ring at the end of the handle. No sooner had he done this when a lilac blur dropped from above and slashed a tanto towards his head. Zabuza used the kunai he had caught to put up a small defense as he launched himself into the air, twisting to swing his leg to the head of the lilac figure who ducked and let the leg pass over the head. Both figures jumped back to opposite corners of the shop. The other figure threw a round of shuriken at Zabuza. Zabuza deflected them all, but didn't retaliate.

Naruto, who had followed his sensei into the shop stood with his mouth open as he saw that the figure who had attacked his sensei was, in fact-

"A Girl?" Naruto said, stating the obvious. The woman in the lilac kimono glanced at the boy and then back at Zabuza. Naruto was impressed that his sensei knew such a pretty woman. The woman had a dark violet shade of hair, some of which she had fixed in a very pretty hair clutch on the top of her head and the rest flew down her shoulders in waves.

"Well-well. If it isn't the Demon of the Mist himself. To what do I owe the pleasure?" the woman drawled slowly.

Zabuza scowled as he let his kunai come down. "I just came to take what I left with you long ago. Where is it?"

The woman's eyes widened as she looked at Zabuza. "Are you serious? " She asked. As Zabuza nodded, she said, "I never thought this day would come."

"A week ago, neither did I. But it has. So, once again I say this; Where is it?" Zabuza said to the woman.

"In a safe place." The woman answered as she looked at the two boys standing in the doorway. She lowered her tanto as well. "Come inside, and shut the door."

Both boys walked in and Haku closed the door behind him. The woman walked into a doorway and motioned them to follow her. All three followed her into what turned out to be a sitting room of sorts. It had a small table in the middle and cushions were placed around it.

"Sit." She said as she moved into an adjoining kitchen. Naruto and Haku sat down as they heard utensils being displaced. Zabuza remained standing. In a minute or so, the woman returned with four steaming cups of tea and some small snacks.

"So, which one of them is the unfortunate one?" she asked as she sat down as well. Zabuza did not bother to answer.

"Who is what, sensei?" Naruto asked, interested. "And who are you?"

The woman looked at the blonde with the strange clan markers who called the feared man his sensei. "An old friend of your sensei's, gaki."

"Cool. I've never met any of sensei's friends before." Naruto chirruped happily as he picked up a few snacks and stuffed his mouth.

"That's because I don't have any." Zabuza glared at the woman who smiled back at him.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto- dattebayo." Naruto said as raised his hand as if he was in a classroom.

"And I'm Haku. Nice to meet you." Haku said softly as he bowed slightly to the woman.

The woman turned to them and nodded as she said, "I'm Hozuki Yuna. Nice to meet you too."

"Ne-ne Yuna-chan, who is unfortunate?" Naruto asked as he took another handful of snacks. All that running had increased his appetite.

Yuna smiled at the boy and nodded towards Zabuza as she said, "That is what I'm asking your sensei, gaki."

"There is no one." Zabuza said as he narrowed his eyes at the woman, trying to shut her up. "I'm just here to take something that is mine. It doesn't mean anything."

Yuna leaned onto the table and supported her chin in her palms. She looked at Zabuza meditatively.

"What?" Zabuza growled.

"If it didn't mean anything, you wouldn't be here. The very fact that you want it back is evidence that you have decided."

"I haven't." Zabuza glared at the woman. The woman realized that she had been staring a little disbelievingly and looked away before Zabuza took offense. Picking a fight with the Demon of the mist wasn't on her to-do list.

"AAHHHHH!"

Both grown-ups turned their head to look at a very hassled blonde who was tearing his hair out. "I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT, DATTEBAYO. IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY!"

Yuna chuckled and Zabuza sighed. Yuna looked back at Zabuza and said, "Just tell me that it isn't him."

Zabuza said nothing as he continued to look at Naruto. It made Yuna's face become a bit serious. "It is him, isn't it?"

"Maybe." Zabuza said finally.

"WHAT? WHAT? WHAT – DATTEBAYO?" Naruto almost burst a vein.

"Calm down, gaki." Yuna said to Naruto and pushed the plate of snacks towards the blonde. "Here, have some more."

"But I want to know." Naruto whined. He still picked up a fistful of snacks though, he was hungry after all.

"Fine, Fine. I'll tell you." Yuna said as she sighed and looked at the blonde. "You're sensei is here for a sword that he left with me many years ago."

Naruto took in this information and frowned. "But, why? He already has a kick ass sword, why does he want another one?" Naruto asked.

Yuna smiled at the boy as Zabuza sighed again. "You are quite the curious one aren't you, gaki?"

Naruto smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Heh-Heh. I guess."

"Before answering that question, I must ask you one of mine." Yuna chuckled at the boy's response. "What do you know about the **Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū**?"

Naruto looked at the woman in surprise. He had heard something like that before. He tilted his head to a side and crossed his arms across his chest as he tried to concentrate. After a short while, he shook his head.

"Nope, I don't remember." Naruto declared, causing Haku to face palm. The boy had told the blonde about their sensei many times.

Zabuza shook his head as Yuna chuckled at the reaction of the other two ninja. She looked at the blonde who was again smiling sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. It was a habit it seemed.

"Well, then I'll need to tell you about it first, gaki. Sit up and listen closely." She said. Naruto instantly sat up and paid attention. He had a feeling this was something he did not want to forget. Slowly, Yuna began.

"During the era of the clans, before the hidden village system was established, three clans existed in the water country, which raised exceptional swordsmen- The Hozuki clan, The Hoshigaki clan and The Hokizumi clan. These clans were always at odds with each other, claiming that their clan's swordsmen were the best. During the founding of the Mist, each of these clans were sent invitations to join. Each of the clan was opposed to the idea of joining the village with their enemy. All three clans were formidable and would have been valuable additions to the village, so the man who would later become Shodai Mizukage decided on a plan." Yuna told Naruto. Even Haku listened as this was a story he had not heard before. Zabuza-sama was not known to be a great conversationalist. Whatever the boy had found out, he had pieced together from what he had learned from the other mist ninja in the group. Naruto listened, engrossed.

"He asked for a peaceful meeting with the heads of all the three clans. In that meeting, he proposed a tournament. A tournament to decide the best swordsmen, irrespective of the clans. Each clan head boasted that their ninja were the best and agreed. According to the plan, in six months, the tournament would take place, coinciding with the inauguration of Kirigakure no Satō, when many leaders of countries and clans would be present. Each clan would make two swords for the tournament using their own clan's forgers, with no two swords being the same. This would be testament to their knowledge of sword forging and kenjutsu. One sword would be made by all three clans together. This was meant to be a testament to their versatility, to be able to make a sword in conjunction with other masters. However, no participating swordsman was allowed to even see or hear the properties of the swords as it would give them an unfair advantage over the others who were not from the three clans." Yuna continued. Naruto was so enthralled that he didn't even bother to nod now.

"The Hokizumi clan forged the Nuibari and the Kabutowari. The Hoshigaki clan forged the Hiramekarei and the Shibuki. The Hozuki clan forged the Kiba and the Kubikiribōchō. The sword that all three clans forged together was the great sword Samehada. These swords were made by the greatest masters of the age. They used many a Hijutsu and Kinjutsu in the making of these swords. As these swords were different and more powerful than regular swords, these swords were given the name: **Tenken.**" Yuna continued. Zabuza also came and sat down next to his students. He had heard this story before from his own master, but he enjoyed the history of his sword, so he listened again as well.

"In the tournament, the swordsmen were allowed to bring their own personal swords and the Tenken were kept in the middle of the arena, where anyone could pick them up. The reason behind this was that only those who could properly wield the Tenken they had never used before and survive against swordsmen who had practiced for years with their swords, would be the best. The tournament was long and bloody. Many died, but it was the price paid to create history. The actual result is not relevant, but in the end, those seven who had won were given the title of **Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū**,i.e The Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist. Since then, the wielder of each of the swords has chosen a disciple and trained him to carry on the blade to the next generation." Yuna smiled at Naruto whose blue eyes were shining. "Your sensei was trained by my father to become the next of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū**.**"

"Wow." Naruto exclaimed as he rocked in his cushion in excitement. "I always knew that sensei was awesome, but this is even more amazing." He turned to Zabuza and said, "Why didn't anybody tell us that you were a part of this super cool team of elite swordsmen, sensei?"

Zabuza felt his hand itch as Haku interrupted. "Actually, Naruto-kun, I did tell you, only not in such an interesting way. Obviously you do not remember." He smiled at his friend.

"Is that so?" Naruto rubbed his head and grinned. "I'm sorry, but I really do not remember."

"It's okay Naruto-kun. I do not mind." Haku returned a smile to his friend.

Yuna smiled at the older boy's response. She guessed it was a boon that the blonde had a friend who had the patience of Rikudo Sennin himself. It was a miracle that Zabuza hadn't killed this one yet. She turned and saw Zabuza clenching and unclenching his fist. Well, maybe he still may. Zabuza felt her gaze and looked to her.

"What?"

Yuna smiled and said, "Nothing, it's just that you have learned to be more patient."

Zabuza didn't bother to comment.

"But Yuna-chan, you still haven't answered my question." Naruto interrupted the grown-ups.

Yuna glanced at the blonde. For all the buffoonery, the brat was sharp. It really hadn't been her purpose to distract him but she wouldn't have been surprised if he had been. He was a little kid, all kids loved stories on old legends.

"Your right, gaki, I haven't. I'm getting to it now. Have patience." Yuna said to the energetic boy.

"You sound just like Iruka-sensei." Naruto grinned at the woman.

"Whose Iruka-sensei?" Yuna asked. She wondered if Zabuza had picked up some new followers over the years. Then she noticed that the boy had lost the light in his eyes as he fell silent. It looked like a sensitive subject. Perhaps this 'Iruka' guy had died.

"He was my teacher at the academy." Naruto answered softly.

"What academy?" She didn't remember any Iruka in the mist academy, but then she had been gone for a long while. Almost as long as Zabuza. The boy's answer managed to shock her.

"Konoha Ninja Academy." Naruto replied, getting a little of his shine back.

Yuna turned swiftly to Zabuza, but he sent her a 'Not now, later' look and she refrained from asking anything then.

"So, anyways, why does sensei need another sword if he has the awesome and strong Kubikiribōchō?" Naruto persisted.

Yuna again noticed the blonde's attention to what he wanted to know, in spite of the fact that he just gave off the clown vibes.

"Yeah, yeah gaki, I'm getting to it. You were the one who interrupted last time." Yuna scolded Naruto, who just blinked. "So, where was I? Yes, Each wielder of the sword chooses a successor. Since these blades are different from normal swords, it is useless to teach their disciples using normal swords. So, after the mist village was formed, the masters who had forged the original swords, forged another, smaller set of six swords, one for each except the Samehada, as that sword chooses its wielder by itself. These swords weren't the same as the Tenken, but were similar enough that they would allow the disciple to begin his training and progress until his master let him practice with the real Tenken. These swords were called **Deshi no Ken**- The Disciple's Sword. Your sensei left the Kubikiribōchō's Deshi no Ken with me when he left the Mist village. It seems he wants it back. Does that answer your question, gaki?"

"Yeah it does." Naruto grinned happily and he resumed eating the snacks. Yuna waited for a few seconds but the blonde kept eating. Finally, her patience snapped and she asked, "Well, aren't you curious?"

"COO' us bouuaat?" Naruto said, his mouth stuffed with salted pork pieces. He quickly swallowed and said, "Sorry. I meant, curious about what?" Naruto looked at the woman as Yuna made a bemused expression. Perhaps she had been too quick to judge him to be sharp.

"Well, about the fact that if your sensei decided to come all the way here for the Deshi no Ken, he must be thinking of taking a disciple." Yuna explained.

Naruto's eyes widened as the information he had heard was processed. He turned to look at Zabuza and then back at Yuna. "Of course! How could I not think that. I am so stupid." He said as he held his head in his hands.

Zabuza snorted and said, "You can say that again."

"Hey!" Naruto defended his pride.

"You said it yourself, gaki." Zabuza threw back at the blonde. Naruto considered it and said, "I take it back, then."

"Oho!" Zabuza said as grabbed hold of Naruto's head. "What happened to 'I swear on my pain that I will never go back on my word', eh gaki?"

Naruto was surprised as he asked, "How do you know about that, sensei?"

Yuna saw a small flash of self-admonition pass through Zabuza's face before he smirked and replied, "The hunter was gloating about how he knocked you out right after you made a declaration like that." He lied smoothly. Yuna could see clearly that Zabuza was not being truthful. Another thing that she would ask him when they were alone.

"Ne-ne sensei, are you going to take a disciple?" Naruto asked his sensei. Zabuza considered the question for e few moments before he said, "I'm not sure. Maybe. If I find someone worthy enough." Zabuza said as he smirked inwardly. He knew what the blonde's reaction would me.

True enough, Naruto jumped up, almost knocking the table aside. He raised his hand and did small jumps as he said excitedly, "Ooh me,me,me!" Naruto continued to bounce as Zabuza and the others tried to keep a straight face, "Pick me, pick me. I want to be a disciple."

Zabuza regarded him with a frown as he said, " Why you, gaki? You can't even focus you chakra without hand seals."

Naruto said defensively, "I can do it with half seal now. Haku says that I'll be able to do it in a few more days."

Zabuza gave him a scary grin and said, "Maybe I should ask Haku to become my disciple, then. After all, he is fast and strong. He has a kekkei-genkai."

Normally, Haku would have refused this offer. Swords were not his style, but right now, he could see what Zabuza-sama was trying to do. So, instead, he said, "I will be honored to be your disciple, Zabuza-sama."

"Oi, no fair. He has trained longer than me. If I trained like him, I would be even stronger, dattebayo." Naruto said as he looked between Haku and Zabuza. Haku had to try very hard to control his laughter. It was another thing he had noticed. He had been laughing a lot more after Naruto's arrival. So had Zabuza-sama.

Zabuza looked at the blonde's challenging glare. He leaned back into a relaxed pose as he said flippantly, "All talk, boy."

"No, dattebayo. I mean it." Naruto argued back, folding his arms over his chest.

Zabuza leaned a little forward and said in a low voice, "Prove it."

Naruto's face showed clearly that he was a little surprised.

"Um- How?" Naruto looked at his sensei and at his friend.

"Kirigakure no jutsu is a basic technique known to all of the mist shinobi. Many of Kubikiribōchō's attacks require the mist. If you can learn and do this jutsu in three days, I_ might _consider you for the position." Zabuza leaned back. Yuna looked at the bandaged ninja in surprise. If she had heard correctly, the blonde had barely begun his shinobi training. There was no way that the boy could do the jutsu in three days.

"FINE!" Naruto yelled as he pointed his finger to his teacher. "I'll do it in two days, then you'll see how awesome I am and you'll have to make me your disciple."

Zabuza scoffed. "Yeah right." Then he turned serious as he said to Naruto, "But if you fail, I will never let you be my disciple, no matter how strong you get in the future. Do you understand?"

"Damn right I do." Naruto made a comical pose as he brought his hands to his waist and puffed out his chest. He beckoned his friend. "Come on Haku, let's begin."

"There is a small water garden in my back yard where you can practice." Yuna said and Naruto turned to her with eager eyes. He quickly bounded to her and gave her a quick hug, "Thank you, Yuna-chan", before dashing out.

After both boys had left and were out of earshot, Yuna turned to Zabuza.

"So, what's his story?"

Zabuza didn't pretend to not understand. He settled into a more comfortable position on the floor and stretched one of his leg out until he was half lying- half sitting.

"He ran away from his village. He was an orphan and a disliked one at that, for whatever reasons. He played a small prank on his academy teacher, some other guy than this Iruka character, to avenge some unfair treatment and the guy lost it. Went all psycho on the brat's ass. Tried to fry him with a Katon jutsu. The kid was scared and he legged it into Earth country. Haku found him passed out in the middle of the grass fields. Convinced me to take the boy with us and tend to him until he was up and about."

Yuna listened as she saw some familiarity in the boy's life and the life of the man sitting before her. She nodded for him to continue.

"When he woke up after two days, Haku and him got talking. Turns out the kid wanted to become a shinobi. Haku managed to talk me into taking him in." Zabuza lied to protect Naruto's status as a jinchuuriki. Yuna accepted his story without any questions. However, she did ask one unrelated question.

"Considering all that, don't you think the condition you set up for him is too harsh? He is just beginning his shinobi training isn't he? What will you do when he fails? For that is what will happen. There is no way that he can do it." Yuna asked Zabuza, her face a mixture of worry and curiosity.

"That's what you said for the task your father set for me." Zabuza reminded her.

Yuna made a face as she remembered. She tried to smack him upside the head but he leaned back to avoid the blow even though she didn't complete her motion. She stopped as she realized what she was doing and looked at Zabuza. Zabuza frowned as he saw the small fear in her eyes as she looked away.

"You almost lost your arms trying to do that. It was a miracle you were able to continue to be shinobi after that."

Zabuza let his head back and laughed. The sound would have made many a genin and chuunin wet their pants. Yuna, however was not pleased. "Miracles don't happen again and again."

Zabuza stopped laughing and looked at Yuna. Yuna was shocked to see the solemn expression in Zabuza's eyes. She had never seen the Demon of the mist with such an expression.

"If it were someone else, I wouldn't expect anything either, but it is Naruto we are talking about. The boy is like me, in some respects. He knows the pain of loneliness. He has felt in his heart, the burning anger that just wants to burn everything in its path." Zabuza said with candor. Yuna had already known of his past, so he didn't feel the need to be emo about it.

Yuna had been privy to Zabuza's past as during his training under her father, Zabuza had stayed in the small shed in their garden ever since he had been thirteen until he moved out at the age of seventeen. She had found later that this had been an upgrade in accommodations for the little boy that every one called names like demon and killer after the incident in the genin exams. Behind his back, of course. No one had dared to say it to his face anymore.

But, to say that Yuna was surprised would be an understatement. Never, in her many years with Zabuza and her memory, had Zabuza ever talked about his life. Zabuza was always cold, distant, angry and cruel. Even when he had tried to be nice to his master's daughter when he was younger, he had an empty look in his eyes. After he had gotten older, Zabuza had completely become what he had been called ever since he was a child, a Demon.

"He thirsts for acknowledgement. He understands the only way to get that is to be strong. He would jump in the burning pits of hell before he gives up trying to gain recognition. Either that or burn the world around him to form his own hell." Zabuza continued.

"Like you." Yuna said. She even managed to surprise herself as the words left her mouth. She would never have dared to say these words normally, but she could sense that Zabuza wouldn't react.

"Yes." Zabuza said as he reached up to undo his Hitai-ate. He sunk lower to the floor and lay down. "He will do it in two days, just like he said. If he doesn't, then he is not the man I think he is. Just you wait."

* * *

It was already three hours since Naruto had started trying to master the Kirigakure no jutsu. There was still no progress.

"DAMN IT!" Naruto cursed loudly as he couldn't manage to even feel the moisture in the water garden. Haku sighed at his friend's frustration. He walked over to Naruto's side and sat down next to him.

"You must be calm to perform this jutsu Naruto-kun. The water element is an easy element to use if you concentrate hard enough." Haku advised his friend. "You must feel your chakra mixing with the water in the garden."

"I know all that, dattebayo. But I can't feel my chakra as soon as it leaves my body." Naruto complained. Naruto huffed and fell back onto the ground and raised his arms above his head. "This is as far as I can feel my chakra." He extended his arms completely in front of him. " As soon as it crosses this distance, I can't follow it anymore."

Haku nodded as he understood the boy's problem. Naruto had barely begun to feel chakra in his own body. Naruto had managed a unique form of henge where he layered his chakra inside his body rather than outside it to change it physically rather than layer an illusion over himself. It may have been because of his inability to use genjutsu or because he still couldn't draw chakra out of his body. Likewise, he still hadn't perfected his **Kawarimi jutsu**. Another use of Kawarimi was that it taught the ninja to spread out their chakra outwards to mark the object they were going to replace themselves with.

"Perhaps we are going about this wrong, Naruto-kun." Haku offered as he too lay down next to Naruto. "We are trying to walk before we have learned to crawl."

Naruto made a confused face. "I can walk just fine, Haku. It's this jutsu that I'm having trouble with."

Haku chuckled. "It is a way of saying something Naruto-kun. I am not talking about actually walking and crawling."

"What are you saying, then? I don't understand." Naruto was still confused.

"Tell me Naruto-kun. Why didn't you start learning Kawarimi before last week?" Haku folded his hands behind his head and gazed at the evening clouds.

"What good would that be? I couldn't even mold chakra, how could I do Kawarimi?" Naruto asked his friend. He couldn't understand where Haku was going with this.

"Exactly Naruto-kun. Molding chakra was like crawling for a little baby. Until he learns to crawl, he cannot walk." Haku explained.

Naruto understood as he said, "And Kawarimi is walking. Until I learned chakra molding, I couldn't have done Kawarimi, no matter how hard I tried."

"Yes."

"So you are trying to say that I need to master Kawarimi to do Kirigakure no jutsu?" Naruto turned to look at his friend beside him. Haku smiled as he nodded his head.

"You see Naruto-kun, Kirigakure no jutsu doesn't use any hand seals. It just focuses the chakra extended from the body to manipulate the moisture in the air or in the surroundings to condense and form a mist. That is why the better you are at handling your spiritual energy, the better the mist is formed. This jutsu relies on your focus and ability to manipulate your chakra outside of your body." Haku explained to the blonde. "And Kawarimi jutsu is based on reaching out with your chakra to an object to mark it and then replace yourself with it by exchanging places. This jutsu will allow you to extend your chakra to some distance outside your body."

Naruto thought for a minute before grinning and exclaiming.

"Let's start then, Haku. I'll finish it by tonight."

Haku smiled at the blonde's conviction and energy as Naruto jumped up and brought his hand together to form the Ram seal.

Soon, Naruto began exchanging positions with Haku. After a while, Haku would move farther. Whenever he did this, Naruto wouldn't be able to replace with him for quite a while. It was night by the time Naruto could successfully swap places with Haku from anywhere in the back yard.

Yuna watched the blonde work himself to exhaustion, a fire burning in his eyes. She had originally come to call the boys in for dinner but on seeing Naruto trying so hard, had stopped to watch. That had been over twenty minutes ago. She felt someone approaching her from behind. She didn't react because she recognized it to be Zabuza. Without turning, she said.

"He sure tries hard enough."

Zabuza grunted. "That's the way he learns. Through his body."

"I don't think I should interrupt them." Yuna mused.

"Just leave something on the table for them. They'll come in if they are hungry." Zabuza said, turning. He went back into the house.

Yuna stood on the steps to watch as the boys celebrated the blonde's progress. She had to agree with Zabuza. Maybe the kid could do it after all. She watched that they were ready to begin again as the black haired boy explained the blonde how to focus on the water in her garden.

"Extend your chakra into the water, as if you were about to replace yourself with it using Kawarimi. Now, in using Kawarimi, you use a very less amount of chakra. But, this time try pouring your chakra into the water and concentrate on it. Feel it mix with the water. Once you manage to do that, we will try condensing it. Now start."

"Okay." Naruto grinned and sat down. He formed the Ram seal and started to concentrate. Yuna turned back to go in as she knew that there would be no progress for quite a while. Although Haku had made it sound easy, it was difficult in the beginning. The chakra easily broke off into small lumps in the water and was difficult to focus on. Later on it became as easy as breathing, but for beginners, it was the most difficult step in Kirigakure no jutsu.

Meanwhile, true to Yuna's prediction, Naruto was having trouble trying to mix his chakra with the water. As soon as he poured his chakra into the water, the chakra started to move without his control and he lost connection with it. Naruto persevered. At midnight, he began to be able to stop chakra from breaking off if he concentrated very hard, but if he did that he couldn't mix his chakra. Naruto decided to ask for help. He turned around to look for Haku and found him asleep on the veranda. Naruto felt guilty as he remembered that the boy had been up late with him for the past two days.

_I guess I'll just try harder. I'll ask him in the morning._ Naruto returned to his practice. From a window, Zabuza watched the boy make the Ram seal again.

* * *

It was five in the morning when Haku woke up. The first thing he noticed was that Naruto was sitting in the exact same spot he had been when Haku had decided to close his eyes for a second. Haku rubbed his eyes as he sat up, taking in the fact that he had slept the whole night. He had been pretty tired. He stood up and walked up to his friend. Naruto was focusing so hard that he didn't even sense Haku beside him and thus, when Haku tapped his shoulder, he jumped a foot in the air.

"AAAGGHHHHH!"

"It's me Naruto-kun ." Haku quickly told the boy. Naruto took in a breath of relief.

"You scared me, Haku. Don't sneak up on people like that." Naruto sat back down.

"I didn't sneak up on you. You were merely too focused on your task to notice me."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense." Naruto grinned.

"So, how are you faring?" Haku asked.

Naruto grinned as he looked up to the black haired boy, "I can stop my chakra from breaking off now. I can follow my chakra throughout the water garden now without losing any of it."

Haku's eyes widened as he saw the faint blue glow in the water. The garden was by no means small. _To be able to follow chakra in such a vast network_, Haku glanced at his friend. Naruto was still grinning happily.

"I managed to follow my chakra without concentrating too hard around three in the morning. I didn't know the next step so I stated to see how far I could go. Around a few minutes ago I finally followed my chakra in the entire garden. That was what I was doing when you scared me." Naruto told Haku.

"Why didn't you wake me when you completed the first stage?" Haku asked.

"You were sleeping so peacefully, so I decided to practice until you woke up." Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"Why didn't you sleep for a while as well?"

"I can't. I only have two days to show Zabuza-sensei that I am worthy to be his disciple." Naruto shook his head. He had a fire in his eyes as he stood up. "Let's start the next phase Haku."

Haku was amazed at Naruto's stamina. The boy had always shown great stamina but to be able to mold chakra throughout the night and be ready for more. What kind of chakra reserves did the blonde have?

"Very well, Naruto-kun." Haku splashed his face with some water from the garden and straightened up. "Now that you have managed to mix your chakra in the water without losing it, concentrate on the chakra and try to raise it out of the water with a little water still clinging to it. This chakra will spread in the surrounding to form a mist. The better you control the chakra, the better your mist is."

Naruto nodded and he closed his eyes and started to concentrate. Out of the corner of his eyes, Haku saw a curtain shift back a little. Haku smiled to himself. It seems Zabuza-sama was awake as well. Haku formed a half seal and he vanished in a swirl. He appeared next to the window.

"Good morning, Zabuza-sama."

"Hmpphh"

Haku waited.

"How's he doing?" Haku heard Zabuza say, after a while.

"Quite well, in fact. He spent the whole night practicing." Haku informed his teacher. He then added as an afterthought, "He can spread his chakra into the entire garden. He has been doing it all night."

Zabuza heard the slight questioning tone in Haku's voice.

"He has the deepest reserves I have seen." Zabuza said to the boy. "It could be because of his beast, or it could be because of genetics. If I had to guess, I'd say it was both, if he is a genuine Uzumaki. They were known for their life force and great chakra along with their sealing arts."

Haku nodded.

They watched as the water surface barely shimmered before Naruto stopped concentrating with a gasp. Haku returned to Naruto's side.

"It's too hard." Naruto panted, sweat dropping from his brows.

Zabuza saw Haku trying to find the fault in the blonde's jutsu. He let the curtain fall as he went inside. He went back to the room Yuna had given him and the boys, even though they hadn't spent any time in it. He picked up the scroll that stored the Deshi no Ken. Yuna had given it to him last night. She had kept it in a special dimensional lock scroll. That was why Zabuza hadn't been able to summon the scroll using the seal on his arms. He hadn't wanted to come here. Seeing her again brought up memories that Zabuza would rather forget. He glanced at the wall beyond which Yuna must be sleeping. Zabuza picked up the scroll and decided to go out into the town to find someone to cheer up his mood. Nothing like beating up some punks to get the day going.

Zabuza grinned as he leapt out of the window.

* * *

It was ten in the morning when Zabuza sat near a pile of ninja, some groaning, some passed out. He was copying the entries from their bingo book into his own. After he had left the village, the only way of updating the bingo book was to look into the bingo books of newer missing nins or the ones who hunted for bounty. While there was a feeling of camaraderie amongst most missing nin, Zabuza disliked punks who went around behaving like they were the biggest badasses around. So, he thought it his duty to teach them a lesson in humility and probably in survival. It was good for them to realize that they weren't as good as they thought they were. It just might save them from getting killed by Hunter nin that they would foolishly underestimate while overestimating themselves. If Zabuza took all their money in return, it was still a good deal for them. At least he left them were alive, which was more than that can be said for Hunter nin.

Zabuza had been pleased to hear that the Mist had increased the bounty on his head by a quarter of a million ryo. Another new mist nukenin had told him that things were starting to look bad for the fourth Mizukage after the beginning of the regime of the new Mizu Daimyo. Of his fellow swordsmen, Hoshigaki Kisame had left too, albeit in much more style than Zabuza had managed. He had killed the previous Daimyo that had been just a puppet in the Mizukage's hands. Zabuza was a bit disgruntled to notice that Kisame had been ranked as a S-rank, unlike Zabuza, who was ranked A-rank. _Perhaps I should have killed the bloody Daimyo instead of going after a God- damned Jinchuuriki Kage._

He finished the last bingo book before tossing it into the pile of ninja next to him.

"Well then boys. Until next time." He grinned spookily at them and vanished.

When Zabuza reached Yuna's shop, he noticed the slight haze surrounding it. He walked in to find Yuna in an irritated mood. She rounded up on Zabuza as soon as he entered.

"YOU…You and your damn brats. How am I supposed to do business if no one can see my shop?"

"Stop ranting, woman. What happened ?" Zabuza frowned at the violet haired woman.

"Your student is what happened." Yuna huffed. She gestured him to follow her as she turned her sign to 'CLOSED'.

"Where are they?"

"The long haired one is training and the blonde is passed out in the yard. See for yourself."

Zabuza walked into the backyard to find it shrouded in a heavy haze, with Haku going through his kata and Naruto lying limp on the verandah. What truly caught his attention was the fact that almost all of the water in the water garden had vanished.

"Oh, and by the way, you better refill my garden before you leave. I don't want to spend the next week doing water jutsu to get it back the way it was." Yuna prodded him in the ribs.

"No way!" Zabuza looked on, shocked as he tried to find words.

"The gaki," Yuna pointed at the limp form of Naruto, "somehow managed to turn the entire water into a mist." The woman informed the mist nukenin. "There I was, just opening my shop when suddenly, a heavy mist started to roll out of the backyard. It covered THREE freaking houses. On EACH side. And the ENTIRE street in front of my shop. I had to listen to complaints from my cranky old neighbor who just loves to go on and on about how things were done in his days. My best customer ran into the pole in front on my shop. Another rammed into him as he was leaving the shop. I had to give them both a discount. Finally, I had to pay some guy to use wind techniques to blow the damn mist away before someone died or broke my shop's windows trying to come in." Yuna glared at the blonde. "Then as I came in to give him a piece of my mind, he just kneels over. I had to pick him up and bring him onto the verandah. He would have caught a cold on the moist ground."

Zabuza went over to his new disciple and nudged him with his foot.

"Hmmm….. No Sakura-chan… Hee hee….. Jiji will find out…. Hhmmmmm….hee hee. It tickles, Sakura-chan. We souldn't be doing this." Naruto rolled over.

"What the hell is he dreaming about?" Yuna exclaimed, her ears going red. "How old is he?"

Zabuza watched Yuna as the heat slowly made its way up to her cheeks.

"Old enough, it seems." Zabuza said, amused. "Come on, let's go for drinks."

"Why?"

"Celebrating me taking on an apprentice."

"It's ten in the morning."

"So what? Plenty of people drink in the morning."

"But my shop-"

"You've already closed it."

Yuna tried to think up another reason, but failed.

"Fine."

Zabuza turned to Haku and called him over. The boy obediently came to his sensei. Zabuza took out the scroll of Deshi no ken and tossed it to Haku.

"When he wakes up, give this to him. Tell him to keep practicing the Kirigakure jutsu today. I'll treat both of you to dinner tonight, so make sure you don't over exert yourself."

Haku smiled as he caught the scroll. "He'll want ramen."

"He vaporized an entire water garden into mist. He can eat whatever he wants."

Yuna waited as Zabuza gave the long haired boy instructions. If anyone had ever told her that The demon of the Bloody Mist, Zabuza would be treating two kids to dinner, she would have wet herself while laughing herself silly on the floor. Yet here he was, turning back to her to go drinking with her after doing exactly that.

"What was that all about?" Yuna asked as they made their way to the nearest bar.

"I treat them once in a while." Zabuza replied shortly. "A few days after the brat joined, he almost drove the Demon brothers to insanity whining about how he couldn't have ramen anymore. So, I treated him to the noodles to shut him up. I had almost forgotten about the thing, until a month later, he said that it was Haku's turn to decide the food. So to stop him from starting about it, I treated them again. It just kind of became a thing after that."

Yuna chuckled as they reached the bar.

"What?" he asked, frowning.

"Only thinking that if the people in the mist knew that you were treating kids to dinner just to shut them up, they'd have an apoplexy. " Yuna chuckled.

She ordered sake for both of them. They drank a little for hours, remembering and talking about their days in the mist village, until they reached the topic why Zabuza had to leave the village.

"You shouldn't have tried, you know. The Yondaime* wouldn't have gone after you if you had left it well alone." Yuna said softly.

"And let the murder of my master, your father go un-avenged? No. He must- he _will _pay for that." Zabuza growled as he downed another saucer of warm sake. "Master was the only one who ever showed me kindness. I would have fought an army at his command."

"I know." Yuna commented. "He always looked at you as a son he never had." She looked at the man sitting next to her, swirling his sake cup. "When he became clan leader after his brother's death he wanted an heir to carry on his line. After my mother's passing, he didn't want to marry again. Kami knows enough women would have swooned at his feet had he asked them. Sure, my cousin, Mangetsu, was turning into a fine Shinobi and would have become clan leader, but my father wished it could have been his own bloodline. That's why he pushed you towards me." She said taking another sip from her sake cup. "You were the wielder of Kubikiribōchō, even if the first one who wasn't a Hozuki, the clan couldn't oppose the marriage. You were a swordsman of proven worth, and that was all that mattered."

"Yet you refused when I asked." Zabuza said softly. Yuna continued to gaze at her sake.

"You had become so very cruel, Zabuza." Yuna said after a while. "You took joy in the killings. You scared me. The hate in your eyes when you watched anyone except my father chilled me to the bone. Every time you were near me, I was terrified. I only managed to refuse because my father was in the other room, probably listening. Even when you entered the shop yesterday, I thought you had probably come to kill me. I barely managed to speak at all. If it hadn't been for the the two boys being a distraction, I probably would have turned and ran. The orange jumpsuit managed to calm me down a bit."

Zabuza frowned as he heard this. "I would never hurt you, Yuna."

Yuna smiled. "The you now, probably wouldn't. But ask yourself, Zabuza, three years ago, when you ran, if I attacked you with a tanto, wouldn't you have cut me down without a second thought?"

Zabuza said nothing and chose to ask the bartender for another bottle of sake.

"See? You've changed, Zabuza. If you were this man when you had asked, I could never have refused." Yuna smiled.

"It's the brat." Zabuza spoke. "He brings out the best in everyone. Even those who don't interact with him directly." he sighed. "I've had less cases of the group's infighting ever since he came. His optimism affects everyone."

Zabuza made an angry face and his fist tightened. "I don't know how he does it. How does he remain happy in spite of everything?"

Yuna slid her hand over Zabuza's, looking at him questioningly.

"There is something I haven't told you about the boy." Zabuza said, still tense. "He is a like the Yondaime."

Yuna's eyes widened as she understood what Zabuza was saying.

"He is a jinchuu-?"

"Shhh…" Zabuza warned.

Yuna stopped speaking but looked at Zabuza with wide eyes.

"Yeah. He used to think that he was the beast, in sealed form. His village hated him, shunned him. Yet he remains the happiest child I have ever met. I didn't really think of him as anything other than a tool I would use to bring down Yagura. I didn't even care if he died doing it. That changed when we had a conversation."

"He told me or rather, who he believed to be a hunter nin that he understood me." Zabuza downed another saucer. Yuna didn't understand. "Remember I told you last night that I pretended to attack them as a hunter nin?"

Yuna nodded.

"I tried to demotivate them by saying that I had run away, leaving them to die." Zabuza smiled as he remembered. "He said it was a load of crap. Said that I would be back and kick my hunter nin ass into the ground, because apparently, awesome doesn't even begin to describe me."

Yuna smiled as she imagined the loudmouthed brat yelling it loudly.

"He said he believed in me. I asked him why." Zabuza took a swig.

"He said that he understood me because he had felt the same pain of loneliness in his village. The same anger, that made him want to burn down the ones who looked down on him, who whispered as he passed." Zabuza kept swirling his saucer, but did not take a sip. "I told him about why they call me the Demon. I told him that I had killed many people who had no reason to die. He said that monsters aren't born, they are made. He said that he could have as easily have chosen the same path I had, if it hadn't been for some people who showed him kindness and understanding. It seems the Hokage and he had a special relationship, almost like a grandson-grandfather relationship. The Iruka guy he was talking about earlier, and a few kids who became his friends, were all that kept him sane on days when his mind screamed at him in the quiet."

Yuna listened as she saw that Zabuza deep in thought. It seemed that Zabuza was jumping from his own experiences to Naruto's story interchangeably. Her hold on his hand tightened as her eyes began to water. No one should have to feel what the boy and Zabuza had felt. Zabuza noticed her hand grasping his more tightly and this seemed to bring him out of his reverie.

"He said that he will make sure that I was never alone again. He would follow me to hell even." Zabuza sighed. "I knocked them out after this. While I was trying to take them back, I released the henge and he regained consciousness for a few moments. He wasn't even surprised to see me there. He had believed with all his heart that I would come for them. How can I remain a heartless demon after that, Yuna?" Zabuza turned to his companion. He saw Yuna was crying.

"Hey, what's up with you?" Zabuza grunted and Yuna swatted at his shoulder before pulling him into her arms. Zabuza didn't push back, he let them be. After a while, he mentioned that they should probably head back.

They walked back in silence, each contemplating what had been said by the other.

"Zabuza." Yuna said as they reached her shop.

"Hmmm?"

"Would you consider asking me again?" Yuna asked.

Zabuza sighed and said, "No."

Yuna stiffened for a moment. Then she said, "I understand. My father is no more, so you don't need to follow his instructions."

Zabuza stopped and he grabbed her arm to stop her as she reached for the door. He turned her so that she was facing him. "You little fool." He growled. "You think I asked you to marry me because your father made me?"

Yuna nodded.

"Granted I would have, if he had told me to, but he never did. He didn't say anything other than make it clear that he wouldn't mind if I did ask. You were the only girl who didn't look at me like I was a freak. You never stared at my teeth or avoided me on the streets. I always thought that you were the only bearable girl in the mist village. The very thing that I even thought about you should make it clear that I liked you. I asked you because I didn't see any other woman as my wife but you."

"Then why?" Yuna asked, tearing up again.

"Because I can't ask you to be a part of my life as a nukenin." Zabuza sighed. "You didn't run away. You resigned your commission as a shinobi of the mist. But if you come with me, you will be in danger from the Hunter nin. Lately, the mist has been sending their better ones. I can't ask you to put yourself in danger for my selfish reasons."

"Even if I want to?"

"Even then. But I promise, when I settle down, after Yagura is dead, I will come for you."

Yuna nodded. She reached out for his face and pulled down the bandages. Slowly, she stood on her toes and brought her face closer to his. Then she did something she had dreamed of doing ever since she was a fifteen year old girl.

She kissed Zabuza.

It was heaven, that is until-

"OH MY GOD! WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?"

Both of them jumped and turned to see Haku and Naruto inside the shop, looking at them from the window. Haku had his face averted, ears red. Naruto was looking at them aghast. He was pointing at them. Yuna jumped away from Zabuza as he quickly rewrapped his face. Yuna felt the heat rush to her cheeks.

She looked at Naruto and it was impossible not to laugh. The boy looked like his whole world had shattered. Then Yuna felt an immense amount of gratitude for the boy. He had changed the man she had always loved. He had come as Zabuza's savior from the darkness.

Yuna opened the door and went inside. She dropped to her knees in front of Naruto and pulled him into a hug. He was surprised but didn't ask anything. He just stood and wrapped his arms around her. Perhaps he understood that she needed it or probably he was so starved of hugs that he took all that he got. For the third time, Yuna started crying. This certainly got the blonde's attention.

"Hey What happened?" Naruto asked, looking at the other men for guidance. His gaze rested on Zabuza for a minute as something clicked in his mind.

"I'm sure Zabuza-sensei didn't mean whatever mean thing he said." Naruto tried to soothe Yuna. "He just likes to be mean to look scary. Don't cry."

"Hey!" Zabuza growled.

However, this stopped Yuna's sobs as she started laughing.

"What are you guys doing in the shop?"

"Haku decided that we should stop for the day. So, we came in to watch the stuff you had in the shop." Naruto explained. Yuna nodded as she stood up. Naruto looked up to Zabuza and smiled and said one word. Ok, more like yelled.

"RAMEN!"

Yuna Laughed and Haku smiled as Zabuza shook his head in resignation. "Fine."

Thus, the group of four left the shop in search of a worthy Ramen stand for the disciple of the Demon of the Mist.

Naruto scampered happily with Haku in the front. The two grown-ups followed at a more sedate pace. Yuna looked at the two children and asked, "Why didn't you tell him that he isn't officially a disciple yet?"

Zabuza glanced at the orange blur as well before replying, "We can do the ceremony tomorrow. I'll let him enjoy today. The memory of tonight will help him bear the pain tomorrow."

Yuna nodded and they followed the children into a Ramen Stand.

* * *

**Translations:**

***Yondaime Mizukage. The people of the mist will call him just the Yondaime, instead of Yondaime Mizukage.**

**Yagura= 4****th**** Mizukage**

**So... How was it? Would you believe me that when I started this wasn't what I had in mind? Initially, Yuna was supposed to be an old man with a small part, almost no dialogues. Then she turned into an old woman with a few more lines. THEN,she became what you guys read. I didn't even have to think much, she pretty much wrote herself. As for Zabuza's past and the backstory for the Seven Swordsmen, I hope it was satisfactory. I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Some of you may say I'm a softie at heart, so sue me but I am. I have seen enough crap in real life to want to write it in fiction as well.****  
**

**Anyways, I hope you guys liked it.**

**Please Review and make a hard working Author Happy :-)  
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	7. It's Official, Training Begins

**OMG 100 Reviews! I'm overwhelmed. I knew that the story would cross the 75 mark but I had no idea that It would reach 100 so soon. I am grateful to all my readers who give some of their precious time for feedback. I'm not kidding when I say that reading your reviews is what gets me really going on my next chapter. Thank you all for your encouragement and support. Now, I remember that I promised an artwork, so I've put the link on my profile. I Hope you guys like it.**

**I thank all those people who reviewed last time. I was a bit busy and couldn't reply at that time, so I'll do it now.  
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**fanficreader71: Thanks... I will try to meet your expectations. Let me know your views about this one :-)  
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**Lightningblade49: Thanks... I like Yuna as well. She is not a character I made consciously. She just basically wrote herself and her character really made the story take a different turn than what I had actually planned. In the beginning, her character was supposed to be an old man who se ancestors were the ones who had forged the swords, but that didn't come out right, so I looked for another character and before I knew it, Yuna had arrived.  
****As far as Naruto's elements are concerned, he won't just magically gain powers like in many powered-up-Naruto fics. Whatever he learns will have a basis in reality. :-)  
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**darkhuntressxir: That is what makes Naruto NARU-friggin'-TO... DATTEBAYO :-D  
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**LincDawg: Thanks! My thoughts exactly on the Seven swordsmen. Like I said to Lightningblade49, Naruto won't ****suddenly **go super saiyan in the story. In cannon, the trouble with Naruto has been that he didn't have proper teachers in his childhood. Iruka was all into 'academy jutsu first' stuff and sorry to say but Kakashi didn't really teach, rather just pointed out the defects and let Naruto try on his own. But this time, Naruto has a focused and a little arrogant teacher who will accept nothing less than the best from his student, so he is bound to be stronger. Also, he has a friend/rival in Haku, who actually cares about Naruto's progress rather than go 'Naruto, Fight Me' *couch*emo jealous sasuke*cough* everytime Naruto does good.  
About what you said for Naruto's fights with Neji, Gaara, Sasuke, I think Naruto won not because he was more skilled but because he had more endurance, cuz in a fight, what really matters is how much you can take along with how much you can dish out. Like a certain Super Perverted Sage once said. GUTS!  


**PervertAnimeOtaku: Hahaha... I laughed at that as well. Thanks for your feedback.  
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**x-marks-the-spot1974: Now THAT is a good idea *smiles evilly* Thanks for the review.  
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**Serialkeller: Hahaha.. Sure, I'll do that. And of course he's gonna be a badass. He is going to learn from the biggest badasses in the Narutoverse (In my opinion, Haku was pretty badass as well. Pulled a fast one over Kakashi, didn't he?)  
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**Dark Serpent Cat: I don't watch the shippuden anime, just manga, so I'm not familiar with what you were saying. I haven't given much thought to the Hozuki brothers right now. As far as I am concerned, they are still in Kiri. RABBIT SUMMONS! I am so gonna use that Idea... THANKS! I can already imagine them, Rabbits in Samurai ARMOUR... Just imagine, Thumper from bambi in Samurai Armour. Doesn't get more badass than that.. :-D lol  
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**TigrezzTail: I won't be giving Naruto any bloodline limit. I kind of find it weird when other authors do. The whole point of Naruto is his own strength through his hard work and determination, although I agree that without Kyuubi's healing, he would have been dead before the chuunin exams arc. Naruto's special ability is just his compassion and optimism, nurtured throughout his life in spite of all the crap he had to deal with... and the ability to put himself in the shoes of those who have suffered.  
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**Flashohol: *nervously* heheh... Thank you... *gulp*  
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**pmiranda13: Yeah, that scene was intense... I'm quite proud of that one. As I've said before, I hadn't really thought about Yuna. It all just came to me as I was writing. It kept coming and I kept writing...  
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**Hentai18ancilla: Zabuza can relate to Naruto and wants him to achieve what he couldn't. He watches Naruto take the road less travelled by and fels inspired. That is why Zabuza cares so much for him. Like the 4th said in Naruto's mindscape during Pein's attack, he didn't have the answer to Jiraiya's problem but he was sure that Naruto could find it. Similarly, Zabuza believes that Naruto will do what he couldn't as a young boy, i.e, look beyond all the pain and suffering and become a man untouched by all the hate that surrounds him. In cannon, Haku was alone and all he had was Zabuza, but in ToF he has a friend in Naruto who will make him realize his own life is valuable as well.  
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**LadyXSidian: Earmuffs? Seriously? LOL :-D. Which fic is that? I'd like to read it :-D . Thank you for the review.  
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**nana: I'm glad you like it... I hope you continue to do so. :)  
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**MrClosedEyes: Thanks... I welcome you to the Naruto Fandom and I'm honored that I was able to hold your interest even though its your first Naruto fic. I like the assertive Sarutobi as well. Enemies of the Third beware, Sarutobi is ready for action!  
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**Faeryl36: I know, most of those fics have Naruto becoming a silent genius with a killer mentality. They change naruto into sasuke (usually those fics have Naruto hating Konoha with a vengeance.) I hope the story continues to interest you. :-)  
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**jin-of-Ice: Thanks... I hope you like this chapter as well.  
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**cj1of4: Not any time soon though... LOOOONG time for that... Naruto's barely eleven right now. :-) Danzo and Sarutobi have their moments :-)  
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** eliza smith: Thanks... Read and enjoy! also review... reviewing is important :-D  
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**RefleR: I agree... The way ANBU die in anime filler arcs, you'd think they were chuunin. DUDE... these are ANBU for crying out loud. They don't die without a fight. Them beign beaten by Orochimaru I can accept, but Kabuto? random filler villain? that is just taking it a bit too far.  
I agree about the mob thing. That's basically attempted murder of a civilian. Hokage can lock up their ass in a jiffy. Most of the time, people just make Naruto run away, not focussing on the fact that he can't just up and vanish without the hokage finding about it in a day. Very few fics have the Hokage trying to find him. Most are like- "he left eh? Well too bad, cuz it's not like we are ninja and can track him or anything. He is out of our gates, we can't find him." Even in my fic, he would have been caught finally if it hadn't been for the mist nukenin finding him.  
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**Danielle J: Thanks... I would be grateful if you could point out the errors so that I can improve upon them... In answer to your question, I'll just say that he will. For the rest, you need to read ;-)  
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**00Phantom: That was meant to be really touching. I'm glad it worked.  
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**I guess that's all, but if I missed anyone, please don't mind. I'm a bit short on time right now.  
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**Soooooooooo... Here we are, Another chapter... Read and review! Reviews are the fuel to my writing engine... So don't forget to drop me a line.  
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* * *

**Chapter 7 : It's Official; Training Begins**

"Why are we here sensei?" Naruto asked Zabuza.

All four of them had come to the woods on the outskirts of town. Yuna had a brush and a large ink jar with her. She started to make some symbols on the ground.

"To become an apprentice to the wielder of Kubikiribōchō, you must undergo a ceremony, gaki." Yuna said. "You must show your resolve to become worthy of the Deshi no Ken."

Naruto frowned as he mused. "I thought I already became the disciple."

"No brat, I accepted you as a candidate for the position. You must undergo the ceremony to make it official." Zabuza said as he sat down on his haunches as Yuna finished the intricate seals. She had made two large circles adorned with seals on the circumference, joining each other with another delicate set of seals and design.

"What is the ceremony?" Naruto asked.

"Well, brat, all I can say in a way that you will understand is that it burns the blade into your soul." Zabuza explained. " After this ceremony, you and the sword will be connected until you die, or until someone else successfully performs the ceremony, like if you take a disciple."

"Is that all? Why all the drawings?"

"These are seals, dimwit." Yuna snapped. "These will bind the sword to you and vice versa. And let me warn you, it's going to hurt."

Naruto's eyebrows rose. He turned to Zabuza and asked, "Did it hurt when you did it?"

"Like a bitch." Zabuza replied, grinning evilly. "Why? Want to back down?"

"Hell no. If you can do it, so can I, sensei." Naruto declared.

"Take off your shirt, gaki." Yuna made her way to Naruto. Naruto obeyed her and took off his jacket and shirt. "Now sit, and don't move." Yuna began drawing some seals on Naruto's back and shoulders. "So, Where do you want it, on your arms, like your sensei?"

"Want what?" Naruto looked at the woman, nonplussed.

"Your summoning seal, gaki." Yuna said. "You know what it is right?" she asked him. As Naruto looked at her in confusion, Zabuza interrupted.

"She means this thing." Zabuza pushed back the cloth covering his arms to show the Tattoo of the two blades, Kubikiribōchō and another, forming the shape of the letter X. As Zabuza concentrated on it, the seal pattern appeared around it. Naruto remembered that Zabuza had used it to summon the scroll to explain the Kyuubi's sealing in him.

"Normally, only the blade is visible, but when you concentrate on it, the rest of the seal appears." Zabuza explained. "It holds the swords, whether in scroll form or the blade, directly. Depends on whether you have sealed the sword or not."

"Why do I need it? Can't I just carry the scrolls?" Naruto asked. Zabuza sighed. Trust the kid to ask useless questions.

"Look kid, say if you were fighting on a bridge over a deep ravine and the enemy manages to make you drop it over the edge, or if you get captured and your captors take the blade away from you, along with any scroll, isn't it useful to be able to summon it directly?"

Naruto was impressed. "I never thought of it that way."

"I know kid, I know."

Yuna smiled as she watch Zabuza look forlorn. "Also, Naruto, the mark is proof that you are not just carrying the sword, but have earned it. You didn't just find it and pick it up. It is proof that you are the genuine article, a genuine wielder of the blade, a disciple of the wielder of Kubikiribōchō. It will immediately get you respect and you will be recognized by the mist nin as a worthy ninja."

Apparently these were the right words to say as Naruto suddenly had no more objections. It did, however bring up the question of the location of the seal. If it was a symbol of such importance, Naruto wanted it somewhere everyone could see, but Zabuza disagreed. He said it would only paint a bull's-eye on his back for enemies of the mist and hunter nin. After a much heated discussion, Zabuza and Naruto came to a decision. Naruto decided to have it on his shoulder, Konoha ANBU style. Zabuza agreed that it was not easily visible and could be hidden when required.

"OKAY! I want it on my right shoulder." Naruto said to Yuna. Yuna confirmed it again.

"Right side? Are you sure, I'm pretty sure the men in ANBU have it on their left side."

Naruto grinned fiercely. "I know. That's why I'm saving that spot for later."

Yuna's eyebrows went into her bangs. "You mean you will go back to Konoha?"

Zabuza and Haku looked at Naruto as well. The boy had never talked about it.

Naruto's face hardened. "One day." Then he lightened up again and grinned. Haku and Zabuza could see through it though. It was what Naruto always did whenever some topic about his past came up. Smile and change the subject. Yuna didn't look convinced, but remained silent as she ruffled his head. Suddenly, Naruto's thoughts went to the kind Iwa Kunoichi he had met. He hoped she was fine.

"Fine then, right side it is." Yuna's voice brought him back to the present. Yuna made the part of the seal that wasn't always visible and left the middle part with the swords blank. Naruto glanced at the handiwork.

"Aren't you going to make the swords too?" Naruto looked at Yuna.

"No gaki, the sword will appear on the successful completion of the ceremony." Yuna put down the brush and ink. She wiped the sweat of her brows and beckoned him into a circle. "Now, take out the sword."

Naruto looked at her then at Zabuza.

"How?"

Everyone face faulted. A frown appeared on Zabuza's bandaged face. Yuna turned to him. He shrugged and said, "I forgot to teach him."

A small twitch appeared at Yuna's lips. Haku also looked amused. Naruto was just confused. Zabuza stood up and called Naruto to his side.

"Take out the scroll." Zabuza ordered. Naruto dug into the small ninja pouch that Yuna had given him from her shop. He took out the scroll and held it out to Zabuza. Zabuza shook his head. "No, you have to summon it."

Again Naruto asked, "How?"

"First, I need to add you to the blood seal. You should learn this too. You may need to add someone to blood seals later." Zabuza motioned Naruto to look closely. Naruto leaned forward and took out a small notebook and pencil. Zabuza looked at the notebook.

"What the hell is that?"

Naruto went a little red as he avoided Zabuza's gaze. "Em- Haku suggested that I write down things in my own words so that I understand it better." Zabuza turned his head to glance at his other student. Haku just smiled. Naruto looked up to Zabuza shamefacedly. "You see, I can't remember something in one go. I forget easily. This way, I can read it and remember what I was doing if I write it down in my own words. "

"Whatever brat. As long as it works for you." Zabuza shrugged. Naruto readied his pencil and looked closely.

"The seal on this scroll is a blood seal. It unlocks only when the blood it is bound to is applied to it. The original user can also add other blood to it." Zabuza explained.

"So it is like a special lock which has the blood as it's key?" Naruto asked as he scribbled.

"Yeah." Zabuza looked pleased that the brat had understood it so quickly. He had expected needing to explain it at least three times. He turned to Haku and gave him an appreciative nod. It seemed the boy had worked a little on the blonde's mental faculties.

"So, you can make new keys by adding new blood?" Naruto continued. Zabuza nodded.

"The process requires the original user to swipe some of his blood on the seal, like this." Zabuza pricked his thumb on the corner of his sword and pressed it on the scroll's cover. "Then, five hand seals. You better write these down clearly."

Naruto readied himself.

"Hare. Monkey. Snake. Ram. Hare" Zabuza performed the seals slowly so Naruto could see. "Then put some new blood on the seal. Naruto nodded and he bit his thumb to draw blood. He smeared it on the scroll. The blood was absorbed by the seal on the scroll. "Finished." Zabuza said.

"Now what?" Naruto asked.

"Now that you have been added to the scroll, put your blood on it, focus your chakra on the scroll to open it." Naruto nodded and followed the instructions. The scroll slid open. It's insides had a large pattern of sealing script as well. In one circle, were the words- Deshi no Ken. It unwrapped further to reveal other scripts that had names on it. He saw Zabuza-sensei's name too.

"Those are technique scrolls that are passed down to the next disciple by the previous wielders." Zabuza said in answer to his questioning gaze. "Any new technique for the blade that a wielder develops and wants to pass down to the following generations, he can seal it's explanation scrolls in here."

Naruto unfurled it to see that it had nine names in it. "WOW, SO MANY?"

"The average time a wielder holds the blade is twenty to twenty-five years, brat, before passing it on to a disciple. In the time of war, it was less. In the past two wars, the blade changed hands four times in twenty years, when the wielder was killed. The sword was forged 130 years ago. So considering all that, it is not too much."

"Whoa." Naruto listened with wide eyes, awestruck.

Haku smiled as he saw Naruto enamored by the history of Kubikiribōchō. Yuna smiled as well. She could hear the pride in Zabuza's voice. _How he has changed. Earlier, he would have gutted himself before allowing himself the luxury of emotions._

"Now, put your handprint in your blood over my name." Zabuza instructed. Naruto made a little larger cut again as his old cut had healed by now. He let it bleed enough for him to apply it on his palm. He slammed his blood covered palm onto Zabuza's seal circle. Instantly, all the markings in the scroll shifted to the left as a blank script circle appeared after Zabuza's. "Now write your name in blood, along with your fingerprints."

Naruto complied.

"Focus Chakra onto the script circle."

As soon as Naruto's chakra touched the script, they gleamed a bright blue and his name, which he had written in blood turned black and became a part of the script. He looked up to his sensei for further instructions.

"Now, gaki, summon the sword. Write down the seal sequence. Hare. Tiger. Dragon. Then slam your palm and a little blood on the sword's script.

"Right." Naruto said as he finished writing. He put away his notebook into his pouch. Zabuza picked up the scroll as he straightened and held it in front of his waist, at Naruto's shoulder level.

"Here goes nothing. Hare. Tiger. Dragon." Naruto slammed his palm on the Deshi no ken's seal script.

There was a poof and a sword appeared under Naruto's hand and he grasped the handle. It looked cool until the weight became too much for Naruto's arm and the sword, with Naruto's hand still gripping it's handle, fell to the ground.

"OW! How heavy is this thing?" Naruto wheezed as Zabuza laughed. Yuna was also smirking. Haku came forward to assist his friend. "Of course it is heavy, Naruto-kun. It is almost as long as you and half as wide. It looks like you will need weight training before you can actually start practicing with it."

Meanwhile, Zabuza was making terrifying noises as he laughed. "Priceless." He said as he stopped. "Trying to look cool." he sneered.

"It certainly reminded me of the scene when someone else summoned the Deshi no ken for the first time." Yuna smirked, glancing at Zabuza. That sobered him up.

"I did not fall down." He growled.

"True." Yuna conceded. "But you did drop it on your feet. Almost cut your toe clean off."

It was Naruto's turn to guffaw, which was cut short as a well-timed whallop sent him to mother earth.

Yuna shook her head and pulled him up from the ground as Zabuza walked away. "Come on, we have to begin the ceremony. Naruto, put the sword in this circle. Draw a line down its blade in your blood, then go and sit in the other one."

Haku helped Naruto and they placed the sword on the ground, inside the script circle. Then Naruto went to the second seal circle. As he sat in the circle, he saw Zabuza prick his thumb again and smear his palm with blood. The man walked up to the design joining the two circles. He looked at Naruto who nodded.

"Better not disappoint me kid." Then he slammed his hand onto the seals.

Naruto's world dissolved in pain.

* * *

Haku watched as Naruto's body underwent spasms, sitting inside the gleaming seal script. It had been over forty-five minutes since the ceremony began and Naruto's first scream of pain. After ten minutes of screaming, Naruto's voice had given out.

"How much longer, Zabuza-sama?" Haku looked worriedly at the blonde.

"As long as it takes." Zabuza answered shortly. He had a blank mask on his face, but inside, he was getting worried too._ This took me just a quarter of an hour. What the hell is going on?_

He looked at Yuna who also had a worried look on her face. Zabuza went to her side.

"Why is it taking so long?"

Yuna bit her lip as she looked on at Naruto twitching again.

"The ceremony requires the disciple to be able to focus beyond the pain and feel the blade's presence. You were already a ninja when you took up the training. Naruto is a child. His pain tolerance is lower than a ninja's. Perhaps it was a mistake to start him this early. We should have waited." She clasped Zabuza's hand.

"How long does it last if Naruto can't do it?" Zabuza asked.

"The ceremony fuels on the disciples chakra so that candidates with low reserves are weeded out if they can't complete the ceremony quickly." Yuna answered. Zabuza had been afraid of that. Naruto had monstrous reserves. Unless Naruto managed to look beyond the pain, this could continue for over twelve hours, if his all-nighter during the Kirigakure jutsu training was used as a measuring mark.

Naruto sat, unable to even scream. He had long since lost the track of time. He couldn't see, hear anything. All he could feel was pain. He wanted it to end. He didn't care how. He was ready to die if it meant the pain would stop. The burns during his sensei's attempt on his life was nothing compared to this.

"**Weak"**

A voice boomed in his head. Naruto was surprised. It was not a voice he recognized. It was deep and made the hair rise on his neck. In his mind, he wondered what was happening. Again the voice boomed, filled with contempt.

"**So Weak."**

_What the hell? _Naruto screamed in his mind.

"**To think you are so pathetic."**

_Whoever you are, you are starting to piss me off._ Naruto screamed in the darkness. Suddenly, the pain wasn't so bad anymore. His anger at the unknown critic dulled his attention towards the pain.

"**What can you do about it? You can't even handle this little tickle."**

_I-I'll close your mouth for you, you big mouthed idiot. _

"**Hmmph! With your weak hands? I think not."**

_I'm gonna be the disciple, just you wait, and then, I'm gona dice you into little pieces with my sword. _

"**With what sword, brat? You don't have any."**

Naruto looked around in righteous anger in the darkness. For the first time since his vision had faded by the pain, he could see a faint object in the distance. The harder Naruto tried to look at it, the closer it came. In a short while, it was by his side. Naruto saw that it was the sword- Deshi no Ken. He didn't really think how weird it all was, between his pain and anger, he didn't really care. He just reached out and picked up the sword. This time, it was barely heavy at all. As soon as he lifted it, the pain began to vanish. Naruto didn't even notice until the darkness started to fade into light.

_Where are you now, punk?_ Naruto screamed for the voice to materialize.

"**Well well, perhaps you are not such a weakling after all, but you are still a kit, too young for me to grace you with my presence. Be gone, human. You are disturbing my sleep."**

* * *

Naruto felt someone shaking him. He just hoped it was the guy with the unknown voice. It turned out to be Yuna.

"Are you okay, gaki? How do you feel?" The violet haired woman supported him to stop him from falling back onto the ground.

"I'm fine, Yuna-chan. I just need to teach the new guy a lesson." Naruto gasped as he tried to sit up without Yuna's assistance.

Yuna looked at him quizzically. "What new guy, gaki?" she glanced at Zabuza, worried. "There is no new guy."

Naruto frowned and tried to look around. "But I heard him. He was mouthing off, calling me weak. The voice boomed inside my head."

Yuna turned to glance at Zabuza. It looked like Zabuza was thinking on the same lines as her as she saw him tense.

"What did he say, brat?" Zabuza asked.

"Said I was so weak it was pathetic." Naruto remembered. "Then he said some weird stuff like I was disturbing him and called me something wierd. I think it was 'kit'. Called me a human too. Stupid guy. I mean, what else am I supposed to be? A horse?"

Whatever doubts Zabuza had were dispelled by this information. 'Kit' was a fox's child.

"How did he look?" Zabuza asked, trying not to overreact.

"It was totally dark. I couldn't see anything until he started to piss me off. Then I saw the sword while I was trying to look for something to shut him up with." Naruto said as he frowned. He glanced next to him and saw the blade wasn't by his side, but lying in the other script circle. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. He had finished the ceremony. He had done it. He was officially a disciple. All his fury at the mystery voice was forgotten as he jumped up. This scared Yuna a bit, as a moment ago, she had to support him just so that he wouldn't collapse. Now he was doing jumping jacks while whooping.

"ALL RIGHT! I'M A DISCIPLE! YAY!"

Naruto jumped up to Haku and pulled the boy into his celebration as the adults watched, amused.

Naruto craned his neck to look at the tattoo on his shoulder. He frowned. "Hey, sensei? My tattoo doesn't look like yours."

Haku gave the tattoo a look and saw that Naruto was right. Unlike Zabuza's two swords criss-crossing each other, Naruto's tattoo had only one inclined sword. The Deshi no Ken. Both boys looked to Zabuza for an explanation.

"Of course it doesn't look like mine, brat. You are just the disciple right now, so you only have the Deshi no ken bound to you. I, on the other hand, am the current wielder of Kubikiribōchō. I have it on my seal as well."

Naruto nodded in understanding. As the excitement left his body, he started to feel a little weak in the knees. Zabuza noticed this and decide it was time they headed back.

"C'mon brat. Let's go back. You need to rest. You'll need your strength for the trip." Zabuza called his students.

"What trip, sensei?"

"When we leave for base, brat." Zabuza said and Yuna looked at him. Zabuza avoided her gaze as he turned and vanished in a swirl of fog. Yuna sighed as she waited for the boys to reach her. The three began their run back into town.

"Yuna-chan."

Yuna glanced at Naruto, who was looking at her with his big blue eyes. "What, gaki?"

"Thank you."

Yuna glanced at the blonde next to her in surprise.

"Whatever for, gaki?"

"For being sensei's friend."

Yuna remained silent as she couldn't think of a proper reply to that.

"And for all the cool stuff you gave me." Naruto thought of the ninja equipment she had given him last night from her shop.

"It's fine, gaki. Just work hard and become strong."

Naruto nodded happily as they continued on their way.

* * *

_-time break-_

* * *

Naruto watched Zabuza from the corner of his eyes. Ever since they had come back from Yuna-chan's place a few days ago, his sensei had been in a bad mood. Naruto tried to guess what was the problem. He was curious both because he cared and because Zabuza-sensei had been grilling him even harder than he used to. Naruto already had to do the three day journey wearing weights on his arms and leg, while the Deshi no Ken was strapped onto his back like Zabuza and Kubikiribōchō. Even now, Naruto had to keep the sword on his back, unless he was in the bathroom or eating. All his speed training had to be done with the heavy object strapped to his back. To make matters worse, Zabuza had him increase the training weights by five pounds every three days. In each weight band. Zabuza noticed the blonde trying to sneak discreet glances off him.

"What?" he snapped. Naruto looked away quickly. Zabuza asked again, irritated. "What?"

"Um- you seem to be in a bad mood, sensei. Is something wrong?" Naruto asked.

Zabuza just growled and Naruto decided it was time he returned to his training. He quickly finished his lunch and picked up his plate. He washed it, picked up Deshi no Ken and returned to his room.

Naruto entered to find Haku reading the scroll he had borrowed from Naruto, a pencil in hand. He had asked Naruto that if the boy didn't mind, he could write down simplified ideas in the margins so that Naruto could read them later. Naruto had agreed.

"Hey, Haku."

"Back from your speed training, Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah. My legs are killing me, dattebayo."

"It will stop once the muscles in your legs become accustomed to the heavy load."

"Yeah. If it doesn't cripple me first." Naruto huffed and dropped onto his bed, putting the sword next to the nightstand both boys shared. "I need to rest before my evening run. I can't see why I must run so much every day."

Haku put down his scroll and surprised Naruto by asking him if he would like to spar in the evening.

"What? You want to spar with me?"

"Yes, Naruto-kun."

"But, you can kick my ass with your jutsu. All I know is Kawarimi, henge and Kirigakure no jutsu. I can't even use it properly without water nearby. Even if I do manage to make a good mist, I'll only end up going blind while you beat me up."

"No jutsu, Naruto-kun. Only hand to hand combat."

Naruto snorted. "As if you wouldn't wipe the ground with me with taijutsu. Zabuza sensei told me that my teacher taught me wrong. Probably on purpose, the bastard did try to kill me after all."

"I agree that you are not at my level yet, Naruto-kun, but I wish to spar so that you can see the difference your speed training makes to your movements."

"Fine." Naruto said as he closed his eyes. In under a minute, the blonde was asleep.

Three hours later, Haku decided to wake Naruto up. Naruto took a while to wake up properly. In that time, Haku got himself ready for the sparring match. The boys made their way to a small clearing in the forest near their new base.

"Take off your weights, Naruto-kun." Haku went and stood on the opposite side of the clearing.

Naruto obeyed. He set down the four weight bands Yuna-chan had given him. These were made from a special material that could absorb chakra. The more chakra was fed to it, the heavier they became. Currently, each of them weighed about fifteen pounds. Together made up almost three fourths of Naruto's body weight. The Deshi no ken was easily 30 pounds. As soon as Naruto took of the weights, he felt so good. His body was free from the strain of all the extra weight. He hadn't been allowed to take the weight bands off even while sleeping or taking baths. His body felt lighter.

"Okay, I'm ready." Naruto said, entering a taijutsu stance that Zabuza had shown him.

"All right, Naruto kun. I will attack and you must dodge." Haku entered his customized stance, a bit similar to Naruto's but different.

Haku inhaled and suddenly dashed forward to Naruto. He used a speed that he had been using with Naruto previously. To Naruto's pleasant surprise, he could easily dodge the attacks. His body was feeling considerably lighter and faster. Slowly Haku increased his speed as well. Naruto began having to pay attention to Haku's movements and predict the boy's moves. Haku stopped increasing his speed when he reached Naruto's current speed. They sparred for half an hour and Naruto managed to block all his attacks. He signaled to stop and jumped back. Naruto also stopped, grinning.

"Do you see the difference, Naruto-kun." He asked.

"Yeah." Naruto said. "I've become fast."

"Imagine if only a month of speed training can do this, what will you be after a year?" Haku smiled. He had achieved his purpose. He had shown Naruto a taste of what he could achieve. Naruto would not stop until he got it. "I would love to battle you at my full speed, Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled back. "Me too, Haku." Naruto went and started putting his weight bands back on. "Say, Haku. How much of your speed were you using?"

"Somewhere around 20%, Naruto-kun."

Naruto's jaw dropped. "20%? That's all? I knew you were fast, but I thought it was at least 40%."

"No, Naruto-kun. Your speed right now is of a mid level to high level genin. You are a beginner while I have been travelling with Zabuza-sama for a couple of years. If I did not get fast, I could not have kept up with him. Even then, it took me a year to reach Zabuza sama's normal, leisurely, speed."

Naruto's eyes widened as he realized Haku's meaning.

"Zabuza-sama was also part of Mist's special forces, like Konoha's ANBU. He can run twice as fast as me at my current full speed. That is why, I also train myself to become stronger."

Naruto gulped. Haku just smiled.

"I also feel the need to become stronger as I see you trying so hard, Naruto-kun. I can't lose to my junior, especially now that you have taken up the post of Zabuza sama's disciple. I must continue to work hard to stay ahead of you. You are my first rival, Naruto-kun."

Naruto grinned as he closed his hands into fists. "I won't lose to you either, Haku. You just wait. In a year, I'll be even stronger than you." He put his fist over his heart.

"I don't think so, Naruto-kun, for I shall try my best and get stronger too."

"Whatever, Haku." Naruto grinned and strapped the sword onto his back. "I'm going for my evening run now." Haku watched as the blonde jumped into the trees. He smiled and started his own training. He had meant it when he said that by simply watching Naruto, he felt the need to try his best as well. He concentrated on his chakra, made the hand seals. He was developing his own special jutsu. He made the hand seals and called out.

"**Hijutsu - Makyō Hyōshō"**

* * *

_-time break-_

* * *

As the days passed, Zabuza noticed that both boys had suddenly upped their training levels. Naruto had always been enthusiastic about his training but for the first time since he had taken the boy in, Zabuza saw Haku training himself to exhaustion. Before, Haku had always stopped to rest in between his training. For the past two months, he continued until he was too tired to even mold chakra. Each boy was driving the other to their limits. Naruto had managed to increase each of his weight bands to 50 pounds and had increased his jogs by two miles. Zabuza was sure that Haku could now easily take down the demon brothers without breaking a sweat. Naruto needed to expand his jutsu arsenal as he only had the two out of three basic academy jutsu along with Kirigakure no jutsu. All of them were supplementary skills, not enough for attacks alone. It seemed that Naruto was having trouble with the bunshin jutsu. As a result, he was trying to master it before venturing further into the scrolls he had brought with him.

Zabuza glanced at the large tree under which Naruto sat meditating, his eyes blindfolded. This was part of his Kirigakure training. Zabuza had decided that the boy needed at least one good attack skill, so he had started Naruto's training in his most lethal art- Silent killing, a month ago. Granted it would be months before Naruto could become a true silent killing user, but the boy had shown such dedication, that Zabuza was impressed. Every day, while he was recovering from his speed training, Naruto would blindfold himself and try to enhance his other senses. While he sucked at chakra sensing, the boy had a pretty good nose and hearing. In two weeks, he had been able to identify the other ninjas by their footsteps and other everyday minute noises unique to them, like clearing throats, clinking of earrings etc. He had also found out that both boys studied scrolls before they went to sleep. Zabuza felt pride as he watched Naruto move his head to a side to avoid a falling fruit from the tree.

While Naruto had become his disciple, he hadn't received any instructions in swordsmanship as he had lacked the necessary strength to wield Deshi no ken. Perhaps it was time.

"Brat!" Zabuza called out to his disciple. Naruto lifted the blindfold from one eye. "How do you feel about your first sword lesson?" Zabuza watched as Naruto's eye started to shine with excitement.

"I'm ready, sensei."

"Come on then."

Zabuza jumped up into the trees and started towards the short hillock near their base. The hillock was just on the border of the woods and hence the trees were at some distance which would allow Naruto to freely maneuver the sword without hitting trees. Naruto caught up to him in a minute. He was panting already but the fact that he was able to keep up was impressive.

As they landed at the base of the hillock, they found Haku was already there, taking a short break. He was sprawled under a tree's shade, sweat rolling off him like water. The ground in the entire area was wet.

"Hey, Haku! Sensei's about to start my sword training." Naruto called out. Haku didn't even have the strength to respond. He merely nodded to acknowledge the newcomers. Naruto and Zabuza understood and let the boy rest.

Zabuza had Naruto take off his weights and started him with a basic defensive stance. Slowly, he made his way to an offensive stance. Zabuza sat on a tree ledge and watched Naruto practice what his water bunshin did. The weights had built up Naruto's arms and shoulder strength. He could easily handle the sword with two hands. After some time, Zabuza dispelled the clone and started to teach the boy himself. For a while, Zabuza continued to practice side by side with Naruto, correcting his stance and guiding his swings.

Before long, hours swept by and the sun faded, leaving them shrouded in moonlight. Naruto laughed happily whenever he completed a set. Zabuza was grinning too, until he felt a very small presence on the neighboring hillock. He had got Yuna's warning letter to keep a look out for possible trouble. She had heard some worrying news. He subtly looked in the direction under the pretext of correcting Naruto's posture. In the moonlight, spiky silver hair glinted. Zabuza understood. The man had not accidently let himself be discovered. He had issued a challenge.

Zabuza grinned. It had been a many days since he had got a proper fight. Grinning, Zabuza lifted Kubikiribōchō. He made a small excuse to the boys and vanished in a blur.

In a moment, the silver haired man and Zabuza were standing opposite each other.

* * *

**OOOHhhhhhh Cliffhanger. Please don't hate me ^_^'  
**

**A cookie to those who guess this unknown man's identity. (not that difficult, though)  
**

**The next update may take 15 days or so... It all depends how much time I get. I assure you that the next update is a priority but I also need to finish my other story which is a ShikaTema, as I've been gone from it for quite some time and the readers must be getting impatient... Only the lastchapter is left in that one. After it is done, this fic will be my only active work. So, be patient and review... because reviewing is good for the soul... seriously, I'm not kidding.**

**IMPORTANT PLEASE READ: **

**I almost forgot... In the previous chapters, many people were confused because I had finished a chapter with Zabuza-Naruto meeting but picked up the next chapter before that event had happened in the timeline. That is kind of my style, For eg: If I end a chapter with 'B' coming to sit next to 'A' in a ramen stall, doesn't mean the next chapter will start with them sitting next to each other at the ramen stall. I may focus on how 'A' came to be sitting on that stall, starting a few days before all this happened or happens, following his story and stuff like that, or I may completely leave them be and start with 'C', some other guy and how this guy's (C's) story affects 'A' and 'B' 's meeting at the stall. So don't worry if you are suddenly reading something seemingly unrelated... It isn't. Thanks for reading... Review!****  
**

* * *

**Translations:**

**Hijutsu - Makyō Hyōshō = Hidden technique- Demonic Mirroring Ice crystals**


	8. The Demon Falls

**Hey People! I've been really busy and couldn't reply to all the reviews. Unfortunately I can't right now, either. I'm kind of swamped with things that demand my immediate attention and I am really short on time. So, sorry that I'll have to skip the replies this time. Rest assured that I have read them and am grateful to everyone who took the time out of their schedules to review. They brighten my day when I open my mail and see them in my inbox.**

**So Forgive me for being late...  
**

**IMPORTANT PLEASE READ:**

**I also said this in my last chapter's Author's Note that many times in the previous chapters, many people were confused because I had finished a chapter with a certain scene but picked up the next chapter at another scene.**

**Like I said That is kind of my writing style, I don't follow a rigid chronological order. For eg: If I end a chapter with 'B' coming to sit next to 'A' in a ramen stall, doesn't mean the next chapter will start with them sitting next to each other at the ramen stall. I may focus on how 'A' came to be sitting on that stall, starting a few days before all this happened or happens, following his story and stuff like that, or I may completely leave them be and start with 'C', some other guy and how this guy's (C's) story affects 'A' and 'B' 's meeting at the stall. So don't worry if you are suddenly reading something seemingly unrelated... It isn't. But if you ever get confused, ask me in the review or PM and I'll explain.**

** Thanks for reading... As always Read and Review!**

* * *

**Chapter 8 : The Demon Falls**

The silver haired man watched as the Demon of the Bloody Mist trained the boy he had come to take back to Konoha. It had been not easy trying to track the young boy. No one seemed to have seen an orange jumpsuit wearing child or a blonde boy with blue eyes, in case the boy had changed his clothes. He had tried this town, known for being favored by missing nin and those on the run, in frustration and desperation.

It had been pure good luck when he had been passing the Ramen stand and he heard something which caught his attention. The owner was talking with a violet haired woman, asking after the blonde kid who had eaten fifteen bowls of ramen many days ago.

_-flashback-_

_He had stealthily trailed the woman back to a ninja equipment shop. The man kept out of sight as he watched the woman enter the shop. She turned the 'CLOSED' sign to 'OPEN'. _

_The silver haired man decided to fish for information. He asked around and found out that the woman's name was Hozuki Yuna, former ninja of the Mist. He had heard of her. He needed this to go down smoothly, nothing flashy or something that would identify him. He had heard of her, so it was fair to assume she would have heard of him too. He couldn't use his trademark methods. He made a clone and both of them transformed into two random shinobi with Iwa headbands. Both shinobi looked a little tired. Each nodded to each other and walked to the shop._

_As they entered the shop, the woman smiled at them. The man wasn't fooled for a second. He could see that she had clutched some weapon under the counter. Probably a sword, he guessed from what he knew of her. You didn't survive in towns like these by trusting new and unknown faces. The man didn't let her see that he had sensed anything. He and his clone went up to the counter and looked a little out of breath._

"_We need five sets of twenty-piece Kunai, twenty sets of standard shuriken pack, three rolls of ninja wire and two unmarked headbands." He said to the woman. The woman smiled and nodded._

"_Please wait while I get them. Feel free to look at any other merchandise you might want." She waved at the shop._

_The man and his clone began talking amongst themselves._

"_I don't understand, taicho. Why must we use non marked headbands?" his clone asked him._

"_Dammit, fool. Do you want news to reach Konoha that it was Iwa who took the Uzumaki brat?" he snapped at his clone. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the woman stiffen as she was taking out the Kunai set. He saw her fingers inch towards one of the Kunai. This was bad. He didn't want a fight. He wanted information. He could take the ex-kunoichi down any minute he wanted, but he didn't want to waste this opportunity. The woman had been part of the squad that transported critical information. If she thought she would lose and be captured, she wouldn't hesitate to take her own life to guard the secret. He decided to bluff it out at the risk of wasting chakra. He quickly formed more clones outside the shop. _

_The woman had almost picked up the kunai when three more clones disguised as Iwa nin entered the shop. She froze._

"_Hey, you two. How long are you going to take?" one of them said._

_The silver haired man replied with indignation, "I'm just buying some supplies and unmarked Hitai-ate."_

_Another of his newer clones sighed. "Why do you want them? Just take your Hitai-ate off when you two leave here."_

_The silver man countered, "You're not the one going on this mission so it's not your ass on the line. It's the two of us, so don't butt in. I don't even trust the source that has promised the location of the brat. I'm not taking any chances." He snapped at his clone. Out of the corner of his eyes, the silver haired man saw that the woman had decided not to attack such superior numbers and was continuing filling their orders._

"_Here you go, shinobi-san." She offered the wares, all wrapped up. The silver man and his older clone took them, paid and left. One of his newer ones stayed behind._

"_Say, pretty lady. How about you and me having some fun together?" he wagged his eyebrows at the woman._

_The woman smiled, "Aren't you going with your friend, shinobi-san?"_

_The clone smirked. He knew she would try to get information out of him. It was all right. He wanted her to ask._

"_No. Only those two have to go somewhere. I can stop with you here." He tried to put his arm around her. She quickly sidestepped and said firmly, "I don't go out with people I do not know, shinobi-san."_

_The clone accepted the rebuff and left, his work done. Hidden outside the shop in the shadows, the silver haired man watched as the woman took out a pigeon from the cage in her shop. He saw her scribble something and attach it to the bird's leg. The silver haired man smirked._

_As soon as the bird flew off, the man started trailing it from the ground._

_-flashback end- _

The ninja stood as he watched the boy trying to do the basic sword movements the mist nukenin was teaching him. He looked so happy. He had certainly gotten stronger. A sword that size wasn't something a normal kid could wield. The boy must have trained pretty hard. He had been watching for over three hours. Initially, he had decided to sneak up on them and take care of the missing nin before he had the time to react. Now, he was questioning his earlier plan.

He knew that the boy had been lonely in the leaf village. He had always been bullied and mistreated. He, himself couldn't do anything for the boy openly. The attempt on his life had been a wakeup call for the Hokage and the Hokage had decided to take the boy into his own home. The silver haired man knew that the boy would be safe there. No one would dare hurt him when he was under the protection of the Hokage, but he would still be despised, still discriminated against. The Hokage couldn't force the villagers to change their opinions. Did he really want the boy to live like that. He owed it to the boy's father to make sure the boy had a happy life.

He decided to have a talk with the nukenin. Slowly, he let his control over his chakra decrease. A small chakra spike escaped him. Small enough to be detected only by the more experienced, like the Demon of the Mist. He saw the nukenin glancing his way discreetly. He moved into the moonlight to let him get a better view. The nukenin looked to his position. The silver haired man was wondering whether to talk first or fight first. He had never thought this situation would arise when he had left Konoha.

His mind went back to the day he had been assigned the mission of tracking the boy.

-_flash back-_

___Sarutobi looked up as the Silver haired Ninja entered his office._

"_Jiraiya." the Hokage acknowedged his student's arrival._

_Jiraiya's expression were so removed from his normal carefree expression that Sarutobi was a bit surprised._

"_It's all your fault, old man." Jiraiya said without preamble. The Hokage didn't say anything as he knew his student was right. Jiraiya continued._

"_You were always too hung up on listening to everyone, trying to take every one's opinions into account. If you had taken a stand all those years ago, this would never have happened."_

"_I know, Jiraiya. I regret my mistakes as well." Sarutobi sighed. He took a puff from his pipe. "But, this is not the time for self-admonition. We must find Naruto-kun before he comes to harm."_

"_Like someone trying to kill him?" Jiraiya snorted. "I think Konoha has already covered that one."_

_Sarutobi sighed. He should have known that his student would be angry. Naruto was his godson after all._

"_You know better than me that Naruto is in grave danger outside the village. There are many who would try to take advantage of him, that is, if he manages to survive that long." Sarutobi looked at his student. "I accept that mistakes were made regarding Naruto-kun, to let him remain in the outside world would be the greatest of them all."_

_Jiraiya did not say anything. As angry as he was, he knew the Sandaime was saying the truth. Naruto would not survive a long time alone. He may be captured and sold as a slave. Even worse was he may fall into ninja hands who might figure out what Naruto was, where they might either kill him, or brainwash him into becoming a mindless jinchuuriki._

"_What do we know about his whereabouts?" Jiraiya asked as he sat down._

_Sarutobi understood it to mean Jiraiya was ready to track Naruto._

"_The last confirmed location was in Earth country, two days from Iwa." Sarutobi looked at Jiraiya solemnly._

_Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. "Iwa? What was he doing there?"_

"_He was under the impression that by running, he was going to be labeled a nukenin and I would be forced to send Hunters after him, so he ran into earth country where our ninja couldn't openly pursue him."_

"_But you sent out teams anyway, right?" Jiraiya asked._

"_Yes. Initially we did not know where Naruto-kun had gone. A day later a few teams found his trail going into the Earth country. After that all Jounin and above teams were told to report to the location. ANBU teams and Jounin teams followed the trail. Kakashi's team found a group of shinobi who had come into contact with Naruto. According to Kakashi, Naruto and a woman in the team seemed to have developed a relationship. They were probably taking him to Iwa when they answered distress calls from Iwa patrols who had come across our teams. Naruto was supposed to wait for them in a town, but when Kakashi and his team searched the town, Naruto's scent wasn't found. They retraced their steps back until they found Naruto-kun's scent going away from the town. They followed it until they believed that Naruto had been joined by new and faster group of shinobi. Fast enough to keep up with our ANBU. Kakashi's summon also smelled sedatives. That is the last of our confirmed contact with Naruto-kun's trail."_

_Jiraiya had listened everything with his mind in overdrive. If Naruto had been captured by Iwa, it would be tricky. He looked up to his sensei._

"_If Iwa has him, old man, it's not going to be easy. They will deny it and unless you are willing to start a war, you can't do anything." Jiraiya had a sharp look in his eyes._

_Sarutobi's face hardened. "I am aware of that. I have already asked Danzo to prepare multiple infiltration plans for a quick strike team. I would, however, like a confirmation before I commit to such an action."_

_Jiraiya was surprised. He had not expected his sensei to take such drastic actions. He had thought that he would have to sneak into Iwa without telling his sensei until he was back with Naruto. Even then, he had assumed that Sarutobi would not be pleased about the fact that he had endangered the village with war._

"_And if he indeed is in Iwa?" Jiraiya asked, curious._

_Sarutobi replied so softly that Jiraiya almost missed it. "Then we will go forward with the strike plan, and while in there, our team will cripple their offence capabilities, return, increase defenses and prepare of war."_

_Jiraiya nodded. It looked like his sensei was serious about getting Naruto back. "Count me in on the strike team, then." Jiraiya grinned._

_Sarutobi also smiled. It seemed his student had finally forgiven him. "But first, confirm whether Iwa has Naruto-kun or not. Can you do that?" _

"_Of course I can, old man. I am the legendary Gama Sennin, Jiraiya-sama." Jiraiya said as he made his infamous pose. _

_Sarutobi chuckled. _

"_Don't worry old man. I'll find Naruto. I owe Minato that." Jiraiya said as he turned to the door._

_-flashback end-_

Of course, he had not been able to find any signs of Naruto being in Iwa. He had easily infiltrated Iwa hidden inside his toad. He had followed the Kunoichi Sarutobi had talked about. She had just trained and trained all the while he had watched her. He had snuck into her house and had overheard her talking to her husband about Naruto. She had been sad that they hadn't been able to bring Naruto with them. From their conversation it was clear that the Kunoichi genuinely cared for the boy. He had followed the higher officials as well. No one knew anything about such a boy. After a week in Iwa, he had decided that Naruto wasn't there.

It was then that he had widened his search to other countries. Now, after many days of fruitless searching, he had been rewarded.

Jiraiya readied himself as the Nukenin shun-shined to his position, his Tenken in his hands.

* * *

Zabuza arrived to find an old man (any one over forty was old for Zabuza) standing opposite him. The man was dressed up in clothes he had never seen on Iwa shinobi. Instead of the unmarked hitai-ate Yuna had said in her letter, this man was wearing the kanji for 'Oil' on his forehead.

"I hope you give me a good fight old man. I haven't been able to stretch myself for some time." Zabuza pointed Kubikiribōchō towards Jiraiya. He looked around. "I know there are two of you. Tell the other one to come out. At two-to-one, you might stand a chance." He smirked at the man before him.

Jiraiya laughed. Zabuza's eyes narrowed. The laugh wasn't the regular taunting laugh, but a genuinely amused laugh. Jiraiya looked at Zabuza and smiled.

"It's just me brat." Jiraiya grinned at Zabuza. "But don't worry. There aren't any more coming. I am the one you were warned about."

Zabuza became wary of this man. Something about him was familiar. Zabuza couldn't put his finger on it, but he was positive he had seen this face before. The way that this man knew that he had been warned by Yuna was also worrying.

"You see, I wasn't even sure that you were the ones I was looking for. It may be improbable, but not impossible that there may be another blonde kid who could eat twenty bowls of ramen." Jiraiya's eyes shined. "After all, I knew one such boy many years ago."

Zabuza entered into a defensive stance. The man in front of him was giving dangerous vibes.

"I just acted a little play in front of the girl and her behavior when I mentioned the Uzumaki name confirmed it for me. Unfortunately, I still did not know where you were, but the carrier pigeon was a very good guide." Jiraiya's face lost its carefree look and turned dangerous. "So, let's get to business."

Zabuza prepared for attack as he realized that Yuna had been played. The man had very neatly found out their location from Yuna without her even knowing. The man was a very skilled spy. "What business?"

"Hand Naruto over to me." Jiraiya said casually.

Zabuza noticed the way the man said 'Naruto' instead of 'Uzumaki' or 'The Brat' or 'Demon'. This guy knew Naruto. It could only mean-

"You're from Konoha." Zabuza tightened his grip on Kubikiribōchō.

"Yes." Jiraiya nodded, impressed.

It was all the reason Zabuza needed. He dashed to the man's side and swung his sword, catching the off-guard man in his side. Or so he thought. The man poofed into smoke and Zabuza felt a solid kick to his side. He skid to the side, alert, facing the man who had appeared behind him. He swung again quickly and jumped back, creating distance between himself and the old man.

"You're good old man, I'll give you that." Zabuza grinned. This was going to be good after all.

"Why, thank you." Jiraiya grinned. Then he looked to his side. "I know you are there, brat. Might as well join in."

Zabuza looked to the side as well to see Haku appear using his signature spinning Shunshin. He cursed himself. He hadn't sensed Haku at all, he had been so focused on the old man. The fact that the man had was worrying in itself. He needed to finish it quickly.

"Boy, what are you doing here?" he growled.

"I'm sorry, Zabuza-sama, but I felt an unknown chakra spike before you left. I knew that it was an enemy, so I followed."

"What about the brat?" Zabuza asked, his eyes still on the silver haired man.

"I challenged him to a race. He and a water bunshin are currently running far away from here." Haku answered as he analyzed the enemy. _Zabuza sama is treating him with a certain wariness, so he must be good._

"Good plan, gaki." Jiraiya said smiling. "And you came here to assist your teacher. How nice."

Haku performed hand seals and slammed them to the ground.

"Hissatsu Hyōsō." He said as ice spikes rushed at the man from the ground. The old man jumped to avoid the spikes. In an instant Zabuza was behind him in the air, slashing at his waist.

Jiraiya turned in the air and stepped on the sword as it passed him, to jump farther away from Zabuza, towards the boy. The moment he landed he lunged towards Haku, dealing him a swift kick. Haku flew through the air. Zabuza quickly jumped in his path and caught him. Both student and sensei leapt back, on guard. Whoever this was, he was very skilled.

"Heh heh. An ice user, huh?" The old man asked, interested. "I thought the Yuki clan was decimated after the last war. I'm glad at least one of you survived. Your clansmen were good fighters."

Haku stiffened. This man spoke as if he had fought ice users before. He had been hoping that his kekkei-genkai would make the man nervous and probably catch him off guard. He tried again.

"Hissatsu Hyōsō." Haku slammed his hands on the ground again. Again, spikes of ice rushed to the man. Unlike last time, the man didn't jump but slammed his own hands to the ground. Stone spikes met his ice ones and crushed them like glass. The spikes continued to move towards them.

Zabuza rushed forward, swinging his sword in a wide arc, slicing the earth spikes. He jumped up and took his sword in both hands as he reached the silver haired man.

Jiraiya smirked as he completed his jutsu.

"**Ninpou: Hari Jizou."**

His silver mane of hair hardened and covered him, forming a spiked shell like a porcupine. They extended as Zabuza slashed downwards at him. Zabuza's sword was stopped by the covering and the extended spikes pierced Zabuza, only to have him turn to water. _Mizu bunshin? He changed when he was behind the earth spikes? The kis is not half bad..._ Jiraiya smiled to , two more Zabuza appeared beside Jiraiya, both swinging their swords at him. Jiraiya let his hair spikes extend and pierce them too. They returned to water as well.

"Suiton: Mizurappa."

Jiraiya turned to see water rushing at him with great speed. Jiraiya rushed to his side when another set of ice spikes rushed at him, stronger, using the water from the bunshins. Jiraiya maneuvered skillfully to avoid the ice spikes as well as the water attack. A volley of senbon caught him off guard and a few of them buried themselves in his arm that he had used as a block. Wincing, he took all of them out and threw them at two clones of the boy that had appeared above him, armed with senbon. Both of them dispelled as the senbon struck their foreheads, turning into water.

Haku felt a rush as he saw the water falling over the man. He formed his personal half seals. **"Sensatsu Suishō"**

Jiraiya realized just in time what the jutsu did and leapt away, missing the water senbon by milliseconds. Haku followed the man and formed another set of hand seals. He felt a presence behind him and managed to turn before a foot planted itself in his face. He bounced on the ground as he was thrown back by a clone of the silver haired man.

Meanwhile, Zabuza was also battling two clones of the old man. _Damn! He is good._ Zabuza dodged a well-timed kick from the clones. They were attacking in perfect synchronization, giving Zabuza no chance to swing his mighty sword. He saw Haku kicked backwards. He redoubled his efforts to push back the clones before the man managed to seriously hurt the boy. He focused his chakra into his arms, preparing for one of his own special attacks with Kubikiribōchō .

Jiraiya followed the boys crash path off the hill top. He saw the boy getting up and rush right at him. _Well, at least he gets points for guts._ Jiraiya allowed the boy to get closer and shun shined behind him.

Jiraiya and the boy entered a taijutsu battle. Jiraiya matched Haku blow by blow very easily. He managed to land a few good hits between the boy's openings.

Haku couldn't believe the speed with which the man appeared behind him. Jiraiya was about to kick him back onto the hill top when Zabuza's voice rang out.

"**Oni no dai ichi no Tsume** : **Kiritateru"**

Jiraiya felt the clone's memories return to him as they dispelled under Zabuza's attack. From what he saw from the clones, Zabuza swung his sword with enhanced boost that slashed and chakra burned the clones. _He is good, _Jiraiya thought.

Haku used this opportunity to Shunshin back to his teacher's side, quickly followed by the old man. Zabuza shifted his hands on the handle so as to hold the sword backhanded, the blade under his fist and the handle above. This was easier to slash an opponent close by. He slashed at the man to have him poof into smoke. The man appeared over him, his hand holding a huge blue orb of swirling chakra.

_If that hits me, its good night Zabuza._ He brought Kubikiribōchō in front of him as a shield, the flat side taking the attack. The attack managed to push him back, even though he had applied chakra to his feet to stick his ground. Haku arrived at his side as the old man landed in their previous position. Zabuza brought Kubikiribōchō back to an offence stance.

'Crick-crack'

Zabuza's eyes widened as a small crack appeared in Kubikiribōchō's side. He looked up to the man. _How strong was that attack?_

"Zabuza-sama."

He looked at Haku from the corner of his eyes, not daring to take his eyes off this unknown man even for a millisecond. The man was too dangerous. "Hmmphh?", he replied.

"He is very good." Haku said, his voice filled with apprehension.

"Just concentrate on the fight, boy." Zabuza advised. "There is no need to over analyze things."

The silver haired man laughed. "You don't have to fight me. Just give me Naruto and I will leave."

"Never." Haku entered a more alert stance. "Naruto-kun is a precious person. I will not hand him over to you, so that you can take him back to the place where he has felt so much pain."

Jiraiya didn't comment. He looked at the boy carefully.

"All he has felt in that village is pain and loneliness. No one has ever paid any attention to him. Do you know that he couldn't even read and write Kanji properly? DO you even CARE?" Haku continued as Jiraiya felt a pang of guilt. He had only checked up on Naruto to the point to see whether he was physically injured or not. Never had he thought to inquire further "For the first time in his life, he has people who care for him. People who are willing to help him become the person he wants to become. People who support him. People who view him as a person, and not as what he contains."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes at this. These people knew about the Kyuubi. He was hoping that they didn't, or at least the boy didn't. Now he would have to kill them.

Haku, meanwhile continued. "Here, he has Zabuza sama, who has taken him as his disciple, to train him to become the next generation of the Seven Swordsmen."

Again, Jiraiya was surprised. He knew all about the **Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū,**including their succession traditions. They didn't select anyone to become their disciples. Even in the bloody Mist, the position of the disciple held a special significance._ For Zabuza to make the boy his disciple could only mean he recognizes Naruto as a worthy student._ Jiraiya glanced at Zabuza.

"He has me as his friend. And as that friend, I will fight you to my death to protect Naruto-kun from that pain and loneliness." Haku finished, reaching into his pouch to retrieve more senbon.

"To your death, eh brat?" Jiraiya looked at the mist boy. "Very well then. As you wish."

Immediately Zabuza lunged forward. All the while Haku had been speaking, he had been building chakra for his attack. He let the chakra in his leg burn as he got a burst towards the man. He further increased his speed by spinning as he neared his target and grasped his sword in backhand style. As he spun, he brought his arms and legs near his body to increase his slash speed.

"**Oni no Dai Ni no Tsume: Bōseki Kiru"**

Jiraiya leapt back, but the tip of the sword managed to rip his shirt anyways, almost cutting his skin as well. He formed the snake seal.

"**Ranjishigami no Jutsu."**

His hair grew and wrapped around Zabuza and his sword. He swung his head and Zabuza slammed into the ground after flying in a large arc, bound by the hair. Haku appeared next to him and threw senbon at him. Jiraiya let go of Zabuza and jumped into the air. _Well gaki, two can play the same game. _**"Hari Jigoku"** His hardened hair flew at Haku like senbon, impaling him in the chest and arms. He formed seals to perform a Katon jutsu. Zabuza grabbed Haku and ran away from the man, trying to create some distance. The fireball hit an empty spot while Jiraiya landed and followed his opponents.

"Zabuza-sama?" Haku panted as he took out the hair needles from his body.

Zabuza formed the half Ram seal.

"Ninpou: Kirigakure no jutsu."

A heavy mist started to form as the figures of Zabuza and Haku were lost in the haze. Jiraiya smirked. They had just ended things for themselves. Jiraiya formed the seals and started to spin in his position, **"Gamayudan". **He spayed oil from his mouth at one-tenth the regular force of the attack. As a result the oil was sprayed lightly instead of a big wave and stuck to the moisture in the mist, making the mist a dense fog of oil and water. He jumped high into the air, above the mist. He had developed this countermeasure to the Kirigakure no jutsu during the Second shinobi war against Rain ninja. He formed the seals and bellowed. "Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu."

The great fireball left his mouth and rushed to the mist. As soon as it came in contact with the mist and the oil, the entire haze exploded into flames for a few seconds. Jiraiya landed smoothly a little distance away from the site of the explosion. As the smoke cleared, two figures were visible. The boy had almost fainted from the attack. He was slung over the older man's shoulder. The older man hadn't escaped unscathed either. It appeared that he had tried to shield his student while taking the brunt of the attack. He too, was barely standing. His bandages had been ripped off, along with his Kiri hitai-ate. He had several burns on his body. He was swaying as he held Haku.

Haku couldn't believe what had happened. Never had he come across such an dangerous opponent. It was his first time of feeling the hopelessness when faced with a powerful enemy. He and Zabuza together were not enough. He had failed his friend. Tears formed in his eyes.

Zabuza let him down on the ground.

Zabuza, on the other hand was not at all surprised that he and his student had gotten their asses handed to them. He had heard of this technique when he had been a shinobi of the mist and warned against it. Now he understood why he had the nagging feeling that he had seen this man before. He had seen a thirty year old photo of the man in his master's bingo book. The red tear marks were longer now, along with the hair.

"Haku." Zabuza grunted.

Haku looked up in surprise. Zabuza rarely called him by his name .

"Run away."

"But, Zabuza-sama-" Haku protested, surprised.

"Don't argue with me boy." Zabuza growled, his eyes on Jiraiya. "Find Naruto and start running far away from here. Go to the hideout we had before we met Naruto. _Do Not Look Back, _understand?"

Haku just looked at Zabuza with tears in his eyes.

"He is not an opponent we can kill, or even hope of escaping together. He is Jiraiya of the **Densetsu no Sannin**" Zabuza told Haku. Haku's eyes widened as he looked at the old man.

Jiraiya laughed as he watched this exchange. Suddenly he stopped and looked at them as if just struck by a thought. "You mean you didn't know when we started fighting?" A sad vibe radiated from the man as his face fell.

Zabuza swallowed as he walked in front of his student as Haku stood up. "Go." He commanded, gripping his Tenken tightly.

"What about you, Zabuza-sama? When will you join us?" Haku asked, his voice breaking. Zabuza didn't say anything for a few seconds. Then, without turning he reached into his pouch and withdrew a scroll. _The Kubikiribōchō scroll…_ Haku's eyes widened. He swiped some of the blood off his wounds on the scroll and tossed it to Haku after opening the seal on it and said, "Tell the brat to practice hard. Don't let him slack off. By the time you reach the hideout, I would have returned the sword to the scroll. The ceremony to bind Kubikiribōchō to him is in this scroll. Don't rush it. Understand it first before performing it. Don't go to Yuna's. He knows about her."

Haku's tears started to flow as he understood the unspoken words.

"Now go. I'll hold him here."

Haku nodded as he put the scroll away. He turned and leapt off the hillock, running as fast as he could in his state. As he was running away, he heard Zabuza sama's voice ring out.

"**Oni no dai San no Tsume:** **Jūjigata Kiba"**

* * *

Naruto made his way back to the base, irritated at being tricked. He and Haku had been running when suddenly, Haku turned into water. Naruto had initially thought that Haku was trying to trick him into stopping, but when he reached the destination and waited for some time, Haku still didn't show up. He finally decide to make his way back. He was jumping from tree to tree when he saw someone coming in his direction. On closer look, it was Haku.

"Oye Haku! Why did you leave me in the race alone?" Naruto yelled. As Haku got closer, Naruto saw that Haku looked as if he had been in a fight. He was also carrying two bag packs. His own and Naruto's. As soon as Haku came closer, he tossed Naruto's bag pack to the blonde.

"Quickly, Naruto-kun. Follow me."

Naruto caught the bag in surprise. He started to ask a question but Haku grabbed him by his jacket's collar and dragged him with him.

"Questions later, Naruto-kun. First, we must get away from here." Haku kept running .

"What? Why?" Naruto started running with Haku as well. "Why do you look like someone wiped the floor with you? Where is sensei? Are we going on another mission?"

Haku bit his lip. He knew Naruto well enough to know that the blonde would not rest until he had his questions answered. He turned to the blonde.

"Fine. I'll tell you while you take off all your weights, Speed is of the essence right now."

Both boys dropped to the ground. Naruto started to take his weights off, draining them of chakra to make them light as their original material. Haku looked around, alert. He turned to Naruto.

"First promise me that you will not react to what I tell you and will follow my instructions."

Naruto stopped and looked at Haku with foreboding. "Why?"

"Give me your word, Naruto-kun." Haku insisted.

"Fine." Naruto agreed.

"Say it." Haku shook his head.

"I give you my word." By now, warning bells were going off in Naruto's mind.

"When Zabuza sama said he was going back to base, he lied. He felt a presence and went to check it out." Haku looked back in the direction they had come from. "I, too, felt it and decided to follow him." He turned back to look Naruto in the eyes. "I knew that you were not ready for battle, so I created a clone and he challenged you to the race while I rushed to Zabuza-sama." Haku raised his hand to stop Naruto as he was about to protest. "I arrived there to see Zabuza-sama attack the man, but he evaded very easily. I joined in the fight as well. But, even with two-on-one, the man was pressing us hard. We fought for a while, but he was too strong."

"No way he was stronger than sensei." Naruto yelled as he straightened after removing his weights.

Haku shook his head. "He was. He wasn't even going at full strength and he forced us into a corner." Haku fought back tears. He couldn't let the blonde see them. He had to be strong and take him away from here.

"What are you saying?" Naruto came closer to Haku and shook his shoulders. Haku looked up.

"Zabuza sama told me to find you and run away from here while he held the man back." He grabbed the blonde and jumped up again, into the trees. "So that is what we are going to do."

"But what about sensei?" Naruto asked as the boys started running faster than before, the weights taken off. Haku remained silent.

"Haku, what about sensei?" Naruto asked again, this time looking straight at his companion. His eyes widened as he saw Haku's expression.

"NO!" Naruto skidded to a stop as he understood. He turned back.

"NARUTO, NO! WAIT, YOU CAN'T GO BACK." Haku yelled as the blonde flexed his leg muscles to jump back.

"I CAN'T LEAVE SENSEI BEHIND." Naruto jumped off.

"YOU GAVE ME YOUR WORD!" Haku yelled and Naruto stopped after one jump. He turned and Haku saw that the blonde was crying. "How could you leave him behind? Isn't he your precious person too?"

Haku jumped next to the blonde and hugged him. "Of course he is. I would have gladly died fighting with him. But then, the man would have found you. All three of us would have been defeated. Zabuza-sama also understood that. This way, at least you and I are safe. He sent me because together we could escape." He let go and moved backwards to look Naruto in the eyes. "You must understand Naruto-kun, that Zabuza-sama chose your and my safety over his own. It was his choice. He stayed behind, fully aware of what it meant, so that we could be safe. Right at this moment, Zabuza-sama is fighting to protect those that are precious to him."

"But why would they come after us?" Naruto glanced at the direction Haku had come from. "We are not in Kiri's bingo books."

Haku tried to decide whether to tell Naruto the truth or not. _If I tell him, he may get more scared and agree to leave._ He paid attention to the blonde's body language. _On the other hand, he may blame himself for this for the rest of his life. _Haku leaned against the tree trunk and sighed. _I have to tell him, regardless of his reaction._

"It is not Zabuza sensei that he is after, Naruto-kun." Haku looked solemnly at the blonde. "He is a konoha shinobi."

Naruto was rendered immobile by this piece of news. _He has come for me. _A cold feeling started to envelope his heart. Then he thought of Zabuza-sensei fighting one of those masked ANBU. The feeling subsided as a different feeling emerged. "That's all the more reason I can't let him fight for me." Naruto shook his head, shaking off tears.

Haku turned to continue on their way. "If you go back now, you will make his sacrifice go waste. If you go, so will I. I will die before I let the man take you, Naruto-kun, but in the end, we_ will _lose, and you will be taken."

Naruto hiccupped.

"That is why, Naruto-kun, we must do as Zabuza-sama asked of us."

Naruto felt a pain pierce his heart. He knew what Haku was saying was right, yet his heart screamed for Zabuza-sensei. Naruto nodded and both boys started off again, going as fast as they could.

* * *

Zabuza panted in pain. Kubikiribōchō had been yanked from his hand by the last attack. He could feel the pain in his left arm as it bent to an impossible angle. He used his thumb to wipe some blood on the sword's seal and summoned it into his hands. Not that it would do him any good. His lower half of the body was trapped beneath the foot of a large toad, ten times his size as he lay stomach-first on the ground. He drew a line on the flat side of the blade and performed hand seals. He took a deep breath as a he heard footsteps approaching. He slammed his hand on the sword, returning it into the scroll.

A pair of feet stopped in front of him. He looked up to see the toad Sannin look at him with murder in his eyes, making seals.

Zabuza closed his eyes. _I'm sorry, but it looks like the rest is up to you now, gaki. Make me proud. _

* * *

Far away, Haku saw the scroll fixed in his belt have it's markings turn red, announcing the sword's return. He bit back a sob as he ran.

* * *

**A/N: **

**Please don't hate me for me this. I assure you this was necessary for the story. For all you Zabuza fans reading this story... please don't stop because of this. Give this story a chance... If five more chapters down the line, you are still not satisfied, make a voodoo doll in my name and stick pins into it. I know that most of you would be cursing me right now but please, don't be hasty in passing judgment. **

**Now, some news that will make you hate me some more. The next update will most likely be in January. Probably by 12th or 13th jan.  
**

**On a happier note, I'm gonna be starting a sidestory for the Twist of Fate storyline = Twist of Fate: Shinobi Gaiden This will contain short drabbles of small unrelated stories or ideas from ToFverse that aren't important to the main story arcs. Mostly humorous, some romance, a few serious. I'll probably post a few of them after New Year's. Keep your eyes open for them. I hope you all will read them.  
**

**So, until we meet again, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.**

**With best wishes  
**

**-KBR  
**

* * *

**Jutsu translations:**

**Oni no dai Ichi no Tsume** : **Kiritateru = Demon's first claw : Slash**

**Oni no dai Ni no Tsume** : **Bōseki Kiru = Demon's second claw : The spinning slash**

**Ranjishigami no Jutsu: Wild lion's mane jutsu.**

**Hari Jigoku: hair hell**

**Gamayudan: Toad Oil bullet**

**Oni no dai San no Tsume:** **Jūjigata Kiba = Demon's third claw : Crisscrossing fang**

* * *

**(=.=) **


	9. The Shark and The Weasel

**Hey! It's been a really busy time, so the updates have been slower... I even had to push back on the final chapter of my other story because I'm so short of time. Anyways, I thank all the readers who reviewed, they made me keep writing this story as I didn't want to keep you guys waiting for long.**

**I tried to reply to all the reviews, but if I missed someone, sorry ^_^**

**A lot of people are pissed because of the whole Zabuza thing, but I assure you, it needed to be done.**

**So, without further delay, Here we are, the next update.**

**Read and review. It's the Reviews that make me find time for writing in spite of my busy life...**

* * *

**Chapter 9 : The Shark and The Weasel**

The forest was quiet except for the leaves moving in the wind. The konoha genin team sat around a fire, resting. No one noticed two small forms jump right above them in the trees and go deeper into the forest. Even if they had, they would have dismissed it as Suna nin patrolling the border, for they were resting just inside Wind country on their way to a mission.

In the night, Naruto and Haku silently made their way to the hideout Haku had told Naruto about. It was deep inside the Wind country borders. To reach that place they had to go through a small stretch of the Land of fire. Right after they had set out, Naruto and Haku had decided to cross that patch with as much speed and stealth as possible. They had rested for a few hours before entering the borders of fire country. It had been a seven hour run inside Naruto's former home country. Lulled into a sense of false security, they had dropped their guard after they reached the Land of Wind, only to almost run into a konoha team.

"Damn, that was close." Naruto whispered after half an hour.

Haku nodded. He had been cursing himself for his carelessness for the past half hour. After all Zabuza-sama had done, he had almost presented Naruto to the Leaf back on a platter. As his thoughts went to his savior, he felt tears forming in his eyes but he pushed them back. Naruto had cried for a few hours after they had left their sensei behind. Haku knew that he had stopped only because Haku's strength gave him strength. Haku could not break down now. It would only end up upsetting Naruto.

As the boys ran, they kept their eyes and ears open for any signs of company. Their past experience had taught them that they could easily run into Konoha teams in Wind as they were allied nations.

Haku glanced at the blonde. Earlier, he had not believed that Konoha would send out hunters for Naruto as he wasn't an official Konoha nin, but he had been proved wrong. Naruto was a jinchuuriki. No village would want to let him get away. His expression hardened. He wouldn't let anyone hurt his friend. He would get stronger and protect him. Little did he know, similar thoughts were going around in Naruto's head.

_It all happened because I was weak._

Naruto didn't notice Haku's expression as he kept his senses clear to assess any incoming threat as he talked to himself.

_If I had been stronger, I and Haku would both have gone to help sensei. If it was three of us, we could have fought and probably escaped with sensei as well._ Naruto clenched his fists.

_I have to get stronger._

The two boys jumped from tree branches to the round as they came to a lesser dense area of the forest. Now, it would be easier to run on the ground. Both of them didn't even stop for even a miniscule instant as they touched the ground, instead, they used the momentum to dash forward. It had been something taught to them by Zabuza. Those living on the run tended to need every second of lead they could put between them and those chasing them.

"How much longer, Haku?" Naruto came closer to his friend. Both kept running.

"Around three more hours Naruto-kun, more if our speed dips." Haku looked at the sky. "We must reach before the sun rises, Naruto-kun. We would be too easily visible in the daylight on the dessert. Your clothes stand out too much." Haku pushed himself to run faster. Beside him, Naruto nodded and increased his speed as well.

* * *

"We're here." Haku panted as they arrived at a large canyon.

"Where is the base?" Naruto squinted his eyes. Everywhere he looked, there was only open grounds and then a drop deep enough to kill you ten times over.

"It is a little tricky, Naruto kun." Haku straightened. "You should be glad we weren't in this base when we found you."

"Why?" Naruto asked, curious. He couldn't even see any base.

"Because of this." Haku smiled as he walked off the edge.

"WHaaaaa…?" Naruto yelped as he watched his friend vanish over the ledge of the canyon. He ran over to the spot and peered down. Haku was standing parallel to the ground, his feet sticking to the canyon rocks. He smiled at the blonde. "So, you understand why I said that?"

Naruto nodded. It was only a week ago that he had mastered walking on surfaces and water. He would have been in trouble if this had been the place he had arrived at. Slowly, he joined his friend on the canyon wall. "Now what?"

Haku just smiled and started running downwards. Naruto followed, a little slowly. He didn't have much practice at this after all. As he reached the bottom he and a smiling Haku and looked up to inspect the height they had travelled down. Naruto couldn't help but think that he was going to get lots of practice soon.

"This way, Naruto-kun." Haku walked to a large rock that jutted out of the ground, close to the canyon wall. As Naruto neared it, he saw that it covered a large part of the rock wall, with seal symbols on it. He was about to walk up to it when Haku stopped him. Haku went through a series of hand signs before he bit his thumb to draw blood and swiped it on the wall, right on the symbols. The symbols glowed and the wall crumbled to reveal a passage. Haku lit a long stick he had taken out from somewhere to give them light. Naruto followed Haku inside and saw that it was a hallway, leading into different rooms. The rooms had cloth hanging in place of doors. This was a makeshift base at best, nothing like the bases Naruto had stayed in since his addition to the group.

Haku seemed to understand what Naruto was thinking. "We came here when a very large team of elite hunters had picked up our trail. This base is so out of place, that it is the best place to lay low, under everyone's radar. That was why Zabuza-sama sent us here. If we remain here for a week or so, the konoha ninja would lose us for sure."

Naruto nodded. On the journey, he had come to terms with what Zabuza sensei had done for him. He understood that he couldn't sit down and just wallow in self-pity.

_I have to get stronger. I WILL get stronger, dattebayo._

Even though there was plenty of space in the base, both of them were used to each other's presence, so they bunked up in a big room. Naruto was tired and hungry. He felt a tinge of sadness as he remembered that if all had been fine, it was his turn to choose the food on the outing today. He took out a cup of instant ramen as Haku lighted the small gas stove he had taken out of a small room where they had left the stuff that couldn't be shifted again and again.

Naruto and Haku ate in silence. Both were tired and their bodies were aching for some sleep. Naruto decided to leave his worries for another day and lay down to sleep.

* * *

Haku had found out during the past months that he was not like Naruto. Unlike the blonde he couldn't just sleep for eight hours and wake up like a man reborn. So, when he woke up in the evening, he still wasn't completely over the feeling of tiredness. Another reason was that he was hurting in all the places he had gotten hit during his fight with the silver haired ninja. In hindsight, Haku was sure that the man had never wanted to kill him, because if he had, he could have done it before Haku could even register that he was dying.

He pushed back a groan as his sore body protested his decision to at least get up. He sat up and looked over to Naruto's camping bag, only to find it empty with his sword next to it on the ground. He saw a little piece of paper sticking from under a cup-ramen's empty packet. He picked it up

_I'm going out to train. Be back later_

_-Naruto_

Haku suppressed a smile. Only his friend could run for 36 hours with little rest in between and still be up for training the next day. While Haku was not up for any physical training, he wanted to look up some of the chakra techniques that he had been neglecting practicing during his intense physical training in the past months.

* * *

Outside, on the bed of the canyon, Naruto lay panting. He looked much worse for wear. When he had woken up, he had decided to go for one of the powerful jutsu he had brought from Konoha. He had picked up the Kage Bunshin no jutsu with his mind fixed on learning the jutsu before the night was out. Even though he had known that he sucked at bunshins, he forced himself to learn it. He considered it as an acid test of his resolve to protect his friend. How could he expect to protect his friends if he couldn't even master a lousy jutsu?

So, here he lay, under moonlight, battered and tired, with a victorious grin on his face. He had done it. He had successfully managed to make twenty clones. What was even surprising was that the clones had an actual physical presence, unlike the jutsu that was taught at the academy. He had celebrated by having a free-for-all slug fest with his clones. It had been fun. Naruto was relaxing and basking in the glory of a successful training session, when he heard a voice.

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

Naruto started as he heard it. He hadn't sense anybody. He rolled over immediately and saw a VERY LARGE man, with _blue skin? _and a similarly large _wrapped thingy?_ on his shoulders. Naruto jumped up into a stance as he assessed this new threat when the man started speaking to the air as if there was an audience.

"Here I was, trying to pee peacefully over the canyon, when an eyesore of an outfit caught my eye. I jumped down to take a look and it's a shrimp. What are the odds of that?" The blue skinned man grinned. Naruto stared. The man's teeth were similar to Zabuza-sensei's. He would have commented on it but the description of his favorite piece of clothing offended him.

"This coming from a guy wearing a lame black cloak with red clouds even though he has blue skin?" he spat. "At least I carry my outfit with style."

The man grinned even wider, making him look like a shark. "You've got quite a tongue haven't you, brat?"

Naruto didn't know how to respond to that, so he did what he did best. Insult. "And you've got quite the teeth haven't you, old man?"

The grin disappeared.

"Who are you calling old man?" the shark man, _nice name- shark man _Naruto thought, growled. The sound made Naruto's hair rise on his neck. Naruto snorted.

"Who else is here ossan* ( disrespectful way of referring to an older man)?" he grinned.

"Don't make me shut that mouth for you brat." Shark man gestured menacingly.

"Try it, shark-ossan." Naruto said as he formed the cross fingered seal of his latest jutsu. Instantly, ten more Naruto's appeared beside him, all ready to attack.

The shark man grinned savagely at this. "Kage bunshin, huh? So you are a ninja." He settled into a relaxed pose. "Come then, let's see what you're made of, you little orange blob."

"DON'T DISS THE POWER OF ORANGE!"

The shark man laughed.

"Tell you what kid." The man said, "If you can move me from this spot, ten yards in any direction, I'll recognize you as a ninja and your power of Orange. Deal?" He smirked.

All Naruto's yelled and charged the blue man. In spite of their superior numbers, the orange squad was unable to even move the man even an inch from his spot. As three of them aimed a kick at the man, he just swiveled and kicked all of them, causing them to dispel. The other five tried an assortment of kicks and punches but to no avail. Shark man just laughed as he caught one of the clones and threw him at two others, making them go POOF and dissolve to smoke. The two that remained threw two handfuls of shuriken at their opponent, but the man merely ducked from the onslaught, caught two shuriken flying above his head and tossed them back at the clones. Each clone took a shuriken to their shoulders and vanished.

In the third wave, the original Naruto and the two remaining clones attacked forming a triangular pattern with the man in the middle. The blue man continued laughing as he dealt swift kicks to all of them, making them fly in the same direction they were coming from. The clones dispelled, but Naruto crashed into a large rock. The shark man just stood there and laughed. "You'll need a thousand clones to make me get serious brat." His shoulders shook. "So much for the power of Orange."

Naruto slowly got up. First on one knee and then straightened up. "One thousand clones, you say?" He looked up into the shark man's eyes and the man was surprised at the fire that burned in those blue eyes. "Fine. If that is what it takes. I'll make you acknowledge me." Naruto formed the seals again.

His opponent stopped laughing . "Don't be stupid, kid. You'll die."

"Don't make me laugh." Naruto sneered. "I said I'll do it and I NEVER GO BACK N MY WORD!" Naruto yelled.

"TAJUU KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"

The entire canyon was engulfed in smoke as the jutsu took effect. For a moment, it appeared as if the entire world was on fire as the smoke waned and there was orange and yellow everywhere. The Shark man gaped, his mouth open, as he saw a brat, barely eleven years old, make close to a thousand clones. _Very determined thousand clones, _he noticed.

As one, all of the clones pelted him with shuriken. As good as he was, the shark man had no choice but to move to avoid the rain of shuriken.

"HAH! TAKE THAT." All of them yelled. "BOW TO THE POWER OF ORANGE. MUHAAHAHA!"

All of the orange clad ninja rushed to the man with a loud war cry. The blue man cursed as he jumped higher on the canyon wall. There was no way he could fight so many of these clones hand to hand without a scratch. Even if he stopped and destroyed hundreds of clones, a few would get close enough to probably nick him or get in a good hit. Not that the hit would do any damage, but his pride didn't allow him to let himself get hit by an inexperienced brat, wearing _orange_ no less.

"Well, I got to give it to you brat, you are a decent ninja, even if you wear orange." He grinned. "But if you think that you can take me down with a rough strategy like that, you're just plain stupid."

The man formed a series of hand seals, ending at the snake seal. The man took a deep breath.

"**Suiton: Bakusui Shōha" **He yelled as a huge amount of water gushed out of his mouth. The water kept coming until it felt like there was a water fall there, with the man rising with the increasing water. The water kept forming waves upon waves, with the shark man standing at the top, looking like he was riding the wave. The water just held until the whole jutsu was half as high as the canyon, which was pretty high in itself, and then with a mighty roar, released itself. Huge waves of water crashed into the clones in its way. Most of the clones were dispelled by the force with which the attack hit them. The ones that survived were washed away into rocks and the canyon walls and dispelled. Only less than a hundred clones survived the massive water attack, only because all of them were on the canyon walls higher than the water waves reached. The original Naruto was also amidst them. He couldn't believe his eyes as he watched hundreds of his clones get washed away. As he watched them dispel, wide eyed , he could imagine them drowning and dying in different ways in the water, almost as if it was happening to him*. The damn thing gave him a headache.

The blue skinned man laughed as the rest of the clones were rendered speechless.

"That's why you need to think before just using brute force, brat." He grinned. "A low level ninja might fall for it, but an elite would only take the game a level higher." Instantly, he ran to the clones, heaving the wrapped package on his shoulders off his back and brandished it in an arc, at the first line of clones. The wrapping opened to reveal the oddest looking sword Naruto had ever seen. The man destroyed fifty of the clones before they could react. It was an impressive feat, as he was running parallel to the ground on the canyon walls. Even when the rest of the surviving clones jumped out of the way, the man followed them, swinging his sword wildly, laughing all the while.

"Hey, no fair. You have a sword." Naruto yelled as he and a handful of other clones managed to avoid the blade. _Damn, if only I had Deshi no Ken with me._ His eyes widened as his hand reached out to touch his right shoulder. _That's right, I can bring it to me like sensei told me._ He unzipped his jacket as he jumped into the air and took it off, tying it across his waist. He bit his thumb and went through the hand seals. He shifted the sleeve of his inner t-shirt and slammed his palm on the seal. In a poof, he had the Deshi no ken in his hands.

Meanwhile, the shark man's eyes went to a flick of black in a sea of orange as he watched one of them take of his jacket. He jumped towards that one as he saw him making hand signs. He swung his sword at the boy just when there was smoke at his hands as he summoned something. Never for the life of him had he expected to see that sword in the brat's hands. The brat parried quite well but was thrown back because of the force the shark man had put in his swing. He was about to follow when he sensed another ninja approaching from below.

"NARUTO-KUN!"

Naruto heard Haku's voice as he slid backwards. He glanced at the base doorway to find Haku running towards him, surprised and wet, hands full of senbon.

"What are you doing here, Haku?" the blonde asked.

Haku just looked at his friend in disbelief. Haku had been sitting inside and reading when out of the blue, he felt a very large chakra burst, probably from a large jutsu. _This was an unknown chakra signature, not Naruto's_, he realized and he rushed out, only to be washed away back in by a sudden wave of water. As soon as he managed to get back up, he rushed outside to his friend's side. He arrived just in time to watch Naruto thrown back by the attacker, who was now looking at the blonde curiously.

"Oye brat, where did you get that sword?" The blue man asked.

"It's mine." Naruto yelled back. Haku appeared beside Naruto, ready to assist him if the opponent attacked again, and made a small barrier of ice. Kisame watched in interest at the ice wall. Then his attention returned to the sword.

"That's impossible brat." The man narrowed his eyes. "I'm asking nicely for the last time, boy. Where did you get the sword?"

Haku looked closely at the man and gasped as he saw the man's hitai-ate. It was a mist hitai-ate with a line drawn through it. This was a mist nukenin. _He knows about the Deshi no ken._ As Haku paid more attention, he felt someone new approaching.

"Who are you, brat? What's your name?" The shark man asked as a new figure appeared, also wearing the similarly designed cloak.

"Kisame." The newcomer said softly to the shark man. "You said you were going to relieve yourself. Why is it that I find you fighting two boys?"

'Kisame' turned to the newcomer. "Ah, Itachi-san. I really was peeing when this orange brat caught my eye. I just came down to investigate when the brat and me had a little chat. It ended up with him attacking me."

"HEY!" Naruto yelled indignantly. "Don't blame this on me. You're the one that challenged me."

'Itachi-san' turned to look at the blonde, his eyes narrowed.

"What are you doing out of the village, Uzumaki-kun?"

All three others present their were shocked at the mention of the name. The boys stiffened ant entered defensive stances while Kisame turned to his partner in surprise. "You know this brat?" He asked.

Haku and Naruto both glanced at the new comer's hitai-ate. Their eyes widened as the symbol of the leaf village shone on the metal protector, albeit with a line drawn through it, telling that the man was no longer loyal to the village.

_This is bad. _Haku's fingers inched towards his senbon. _He knows Naruto, that means he knows about the demon as well._ He was weighing his options when Kisame interrupted.

"Who is this brat, Itachi-san?" Kisame asked, curious. For Itachi to know this brat's name, he couldn't be a drifter.

"His name is Uzumaki Naruto. The last I saw him was in the leaf village, before I left." Itachi said, without any expressions.

Naruto had a confused look on his face, his eyes almost slits as he frowned, trying to remember this man. "Who are you?" he deadpanned.

Itachi's expression did not change as he stared at the boy. "You do seem familiar, but I can't place you." Naruto continued, his face still a picture of confusion.

"This man here is Uchiha Itachi-san." Kisame clapped Itachi's back with a loud report that echoed in the canyon. Very slowly, Itachi turned to face his partner.

"Sorry." Kisame said, not sounding sorry at all. Itachi turned to face Naruto again.

"You didn't answer my question, Uzumaki-kun."

Haku spoke before his friend, "Why should we tell you?"

There was a short silence. It was broken by Naruto pounding his fist into his hand, his eyes wide.

"Now I remember, I saw you in the village."

A small gust of wind flew by them as all stayed silent.

Kisame face palmed, Haku looked at Naruto with a suppressed smile and Itachi gave him an odd look.

"No shit, brat." Kisame snapped. "He just said he saw you in the leaf village. It means you would have seen him at some point too."

"So what?" Naruto defended himself. "I never said he was my friend or anything. I just-" Naruto stopped as he looked at Itachi again. "That's right," he said, "You look like Sasuke-teme." He pointed his finger at Itachi accusingly.

Kisame's eyebrows went up. If he had learned anything in the last one and a half moths partnered with the Uchiha, it was that any mention of his dead clan or still alive brother only ended up him going all moody and emo. True to his prediction, Itachi's mood dipped. On the outside, there was no change in expression. It were many minute things that Kisame had picked up that let him read Itachi sometimes.

It seemed that Naruto could also. He lowered his finger as his expression changed to worry. "I'm sorry."

Itachi said nothing, but in a swirl of wind, he was gone.

"Did I say something wrong?" Naruto asked Kisame. Kisame shook his head. "It's a sore topic, brat." He glanced at the blonde and remembered what had caught his attention. "Why do you have the Kubikiribōchō's Deshi no Ken?"

Both boys started. "I told you already." Naruto huffed. "It's mine."

"You mean you are the disciple?" Kisame scoffed. "Don't make me laugh." He looked at the boy seriously. "Enough with this brat, where did you get your hands on it?"

Naruto wanted to scream when he remembered Yuna-chan's words. Silently, he pulled the sleeve up from his right shoulder. Kisame watched wide eyed as the tattoo became visible. Naruto focused chakra to the seal script and they became visible too.

"You've gotta be shitting me." Kisame said as he peered closely. He glanced up at the blonde. "You really are the disciple. Huh?"

Naruto nodded.

"So, where's Zabuza?" Kisame straightened. "It's been a while since I've beaten him to a pulp."

Kisame noticed as the blondes eyes watered and the long haired boy clenched his fists. Their reaction was all Kisame needed to understand what had happened to the former Swordsman of the mist. He put his hand on the blonde's head and patted it.

Then, struck by a thought, he looked down at the boy. "So you're the newest member of the Seven swordsmen of the mist , huh?" Naruto looked up at him. "Kami help us all." He grinned.

"What do you mean? I'm still the disciple." Naruto dried his tears. "I just got my first sword lesson from sensei three days ago."

"Just three days ago?" Kisame was surprised. Zabuza died sometime in the past two days? He glanced at the other boy. He looked a little more capable between the two. He was about to ask him for information when Naruto asked first.

"Did you know sensei?"

Kisame grinned as he nodded. "Yeah. He was the most fun to be around amongst the rest of the swordsmen." Kisame sat down.

"So, who are you?" Naruto looked at the man closely. It was now that he noticed the Kiri hitai-ate on the man's forehead.

"Eh-? That's right, you wouldn't know me, would you?" Kisame heaved the sword back onto his shoulder. "I am Hoshigaki Kisame, wielder of the great sword Samehada."

"Samehada?" Naruto made a weird face. Then it clicked. "Isn't that one of the seven great swords?" He turned to Haku. "Like sensei's Kubikiribōchō?"

"Bingo, gaki." Kisame flicked his forehead.

"But that means-" Naruto looked at the man with a new respect.

"I'm also one of the seven swordsmen of the mist." Kisame bared his pointy teeth again. Others might have gotten scared, but his smile was quite similar to Zabuza's without the bandages, so the boys were pretty used to it.

Kisame found a nice, flat rock and sat down on it. The boys followed his example and found places to sit as well. Haku regarded the swordsman with a wary eye. He knew that while the man had been a former teammate of their sensei, he did not have any idea of his present motivations. Nukenin were an unpredictable lot. Kisame saw the scrutiny he was under from the boy with the mist headband. He had been right in his evaluation. This boy was a little sharper in the head than the blonde. He glanced at the orange wearing kid. He could be described as a typical airhead. However, Kisame put these thoughts away. He had questions he wanted answers to.

"Oye boy, give me a rundown. What happened?" He looked to Haku. "First of all, what's your name and who are you?"

Haku nodded. He looked at his friend and hesitated for a second. "Naruto, please try and find Itachi-san as well. We shouldn't let him sit alone."

"Why me?" Naruto looked cross.

"Well you were the one who made him go away so it is your job." Haku prodded Naruto in the ribs.

"Fine, fine, I'm going. No need to poke me."

"Try at the top of the canyon." Haku suggested.

As the blonde left, Haku turned to Kisame. "I'm sorry, but I didn't want him to hear this."

Kisame waved his hand. "All's fine." He leaned back on the rock, getting comfortable. "So, what happened?"

Haku took a deep breath. He didn't want to go into details, so he decided to keep it small while avoiding Naruto's secret. "My name is Haku. Zabuza sama took me in almost three years ago. A few months ago, on our way back from a mission, we found Naruto-kun in Earth country, unconscious. We took him with us and after he woke up, he told us that he had run away from the leaf because someone tried to kill him after he played yet another prank on them." Haku sighed. "Zabuza sama took him in as well. Two nights ago, we were training when Zabuza-sama felt someone observing us. He went to check on it. I followed. It was a shinobi. We fought for a while." He remembered the one sided fight. "Our opponent was very good. Later it turned out that it was Jiraiya of the Sannin."

Kisame whistled. Kisame was by no means a weak or mediocre shinobi, he could fight on par with many a Kage level ninja, but even he wasn't bold enough to claim that he could take Jiraiya of the Sannin down. Without being vain about it, he could easily say that he was the strongest of the current generation of the Seven Swordsmen. There was no chance Zabuza could have defeated the Sannin. Haku nodded at the blue skinned man's reaction. Kisame frowned as something didn't feel right.

"Why didn't you guys just flee? The last I heard, Jiraiya of the Sannin doesn't hunt for bounty. He wouldn't have come after you lot if you ran."

Haku shook his head as he looked to the direction where Naruto had gone off to. "He was there for Naruto-kun. He wanted us to hand Naruto over to him."

Kisame followed Haku's line of sight. Even at night, at a distance so large, he could faintly make out the color orange in the moonlight. "So?" He looked back at Haku. "What was the problem? Couldn't you just hand him over?"

Haku smiled. Clearly, this man knew the Zabuza-sama before he had changed. He couldn't understand what was the problem.

"Zabuza-sama did not want to." Haku replied simply. Kisame frowned again.

"Why?"

Haku knew he was trotting dangerously close to fire but he continued anyway. "Naruto-kun was an orphan, living a pitiful life in the leaf village. Zabuza-sama probably saw his childhood self in Naruto, just a boy, alone, scared and angry." Haku sighed and leaned back like the large man next to him. His eyes went to the stars. He continued. "I don't know how or when, but after Naruto joined our group, Zabuza-sama started to change. He was less cruel, less angry. Over the period of time, he came to view Naruto as a precious person." Kisame listened, shocked. What the boy was saying went against everything he knew about Zabuza. Momochi Zabuza had always been cruel and manipulative. He continued to listen as the boy began again.

"This was around the time when he decided to take Naruto as his disciple. Naruto didn't really know it but Zabuza sama was confident that Naruto would be able to complete the task he had given him." Haku smiled and explained to a curious Kisame. " Zabuza sama told him to master Kirigakure jutsu when Naruto couldn't even mold chakra without the hand seals."

Kisame interrupted with a scoff. "No way a brat can do the Kirigakure jutsu before at least a month's training to mold chakra."

"I know." Haku nodded. Then he looked back to Naruto's direction. There was no orange this time. He had managed to get on the land above it seemed. He looked at his companion on the canyon bed. "But Naruto did. He managed it in two days. In my opinion, that was when Zabuza sama truly became a different person. Maybe he thought if Naruto could pull off such an impossible task, he too, could try to change."

Kisame gazed at the stars as well. This was turning out to be day of surprises for him. To find out that Zabuza was dead. To find out Zabuza had taken a disciple. To find out that Zabuza had been getting soft. To see a eleven year old brat make thousand _friggin' _clones. Kisame ginned to himself. _At least I can't complain that my life is boring._

"So he told me to take Naruto and run while he held the Sannin off." Haku remembered. Kisame felt his respect for Zabuza going a few notches higher.

"But why are you sure he died. Couldn't he have run after you lot escaped?" Kisame voiced his question, even though he was sure that there was no way Zabuza could escape Jiraiya after fighting with him.

Haku controlled his voice as he took out the scroll he had kept with him. Kisame recognized it as the Kubikiribōchō's scroll. "Zabuza sama said that he would hold him as long as he could, but would return the sword to the scroll before he…." Haku didn't finish. Kisame understood. _Before he died _was what the boy wanted to say. Kisame thought for a moment.

"Why did Jiraiya of the Sannin come for a brat? Isn't that beneath him, to hunt a boy who wasn't even a ninja?" Kisame looked at the boy next to him. It was something that had puzzled him. Beside him, to his credit Haku didn't stiffen or show any sign of unease. He had expected a similar line of questioning. He pretended to think before he answered.

"Naruto-kun told us that he and the Hokage were very close. Almost like grandson and grandfather. Perhaps because of that."

Haku resisted the urge to look whether the man had accepted the statement. He waited for some sign from his companion.

Kisame sighed. "I guess that explains it."

Haku just nodded.

There was an comfortable silence between them.

"I still find it hard to believe that Zabuza changed so much as to sacrifice himself for two brats." Kisame said after a while. Haku nodded in understanding. Those who hadn't seen it with their own eyes would find it hard to believe. Sometimes even those who had seen it, found it hard to believe. The demon brothers kept murmuring that Naruto had ruined Zabuza sama.

"I can't explain it, but there is something about Naruto that instills faith." Haku said softly. "It is immaterial what you put your faith in. For different people, it can be different. For me, I began to see myself as more than just a tool that lives for Zabuza-sama. I began to put faith in myself and my own worth. For Zabuza-sama, he believed in Naruto and his strength of will. He put his faith in Naruto. To do what he himself could not do, to overcome the pain and anger in his heart." Haku sighed and sat up. His body still felt the soreness of his fight and subsequent flight of a day ago. "You won't understand until you feel it too."

Kisame remained silent but he had an inkling of what the boy was speaking of. Usually, he wouldn't have cared enough to be interested in the blonde, but he couldn't help himself as his thoughts went to his small spar with the boy. He had no illusions about himself. Kisame knew that he was a cruel bastard and had no remorse when it came to killing, but here he was, sitting and talking to a kid, because he found the blonde interesting. The fire with which the blonde boy had fought was impressive. There had been no hesitation, no second thoughts as the boy had made close to a thousand clones. Very few people had ever earned anything more than contempt from Kisame, and the boy was certainly one of them.

_It would be interesting to see what he grows up into. His future will sure be interesting._ Kisame grinned.

He was wondering what was taking the brat so long. _Itachi-san_ _wouldn't have gone that far. _Kisame heaved himself up.

"So, what are you going to do now?" he picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it as far as he could.

Haku watched the stone fly away as he considered the question. With Zabuza-sama gone, they had nowhere to go. They had no contacts to find missions to earn money. No client would take two boys seriously, so they couldn't even approach clients directly. To put it in a single phrase, they were in a pickle.

"I don't know." Haku sighed as he picked up a pebble too. He threw it with as much strength as he could muster. Even in the air, he could see that it wouldn't travel the same distance as Kisame's rock. "It is going to be tough from now on."

Kisame picked up another stone, thinking. He threw it like the previous one. Haku stooped to pick one for himself. "You guys could, you know, come with us, if you'd like." Kisame said, not looking at the boy.

Haku stopped, mid-stoop to look at the shark like man, eyes wide. Kisame noticed the boy had stopped, so he turned to look at Haku, his face serious. "Well?"

Haku straightened, his face a mixture of surprise and confusion. "Why?"

Kisame turned to throw his rock. "Well, why not? I get pretty bored travelling alone."

Haku could see the logic even when many would not. Most people who lived safe lives, or the shinobi who lived inside the rules of their villages, usually asked themselves 'Why?', but the nukenin, who lived every day with their lives in danger, this type of thinking wasn't unfamiliar. They asked 'Why not?'. It wasn't like there was any obvious disadvantage or danger by this action, and they could always change their minds later, so why not?

"Wouldn't your partner mind?" Haku asked, thinking slowly.

Kisame didn't answer immediately. "I don't think so." He mused. "Although he is a difficult man, he is also a bit of a lone wolf. But I could use the company." He yawned. "As long as we do our missions, the organization doesn't need to know. But we'd probably leave you behind when we go for those missions, as they are really dangerous, so it doesn't really matter."

Haku gave this offer a serious appraisal. As far as he could see, there was no harm in accepting, although he would have to talk to Naruto first. He said so to the large man.

Kisame nodded and then grinned. "You know, you guys remind me a little of me and Itachi-san." He chuckled.

"Huh?" Haku raised his eyebrows.

"You know, one from mist, one from leaf. One a swordsman, one with a bloodline limit." He laughed. Haku had to agree. The similarity was humorous. "And I find the brat interesting." Kisame scratched his jaw. Haku accepted the statement with a smile. In his opinion, it was impossible not to find the blonde enigma interesting. He was made up of contradictions. _Always smiling, yet in pain. Full of hate and love at the same time. _Haku's musings were interrupted when Kisame sat up in exasperation.

"Why is the brat taking so long?"

Haku sighed and sat up. He stretched. "Perhaps he and Uchiha-san are talking."

Kisame grinned wide like a shark. "How I would love to see that."

* * *

**Author's Notes:  
**

**Enter the coolest members of Akatsuki... Heheh..**

**I like Kisame, especially after how he died in the manga. the guy is a good guy underneath all the murdering crap. And Iachi? Well, Itachi is the epitome of COOL and BADASS. The guy is hands down, the only guy in the whole of Narutoverse, who can kill you and make ****even** you think that he looks cool while doing it.  


**Sooo, what's on the cards for our two little ninja now that they are alone? Well, I don't know. Just kidding... Of course I know. BUt you guys will have to wait for the next chapter.**

**I have a trip coming up next week and I'll be away for ten days, and come back on the 27th, so the next update will be sometime after that.  
**

**I know it is a long wait, but I'm gonna be really busy until the end of march. So the update speed will be affected.  
**

**I'll try to be quick, but real life may keep me occupied. Don't despair, it's just for a few months.  
**

***Naruto gets the memories, he just doesn't know it yet.**


	10. Those Who Dwell in The Darkness

**Hello, I'm back...**

**I hope you guys didn't hate me for taking so much time, but alas, LIfe is a bitch and it bites you in the ass from time to time, just to remind you it's there. Something similar happened to me and this past month, I was busy taking care of my bitten ass. No worries though, my ass is recovering and is still an awesome ass. Now, moving the conversation away from my ass, Woah! that sounded disturbing. Whatever. The thing is, updates are gonna be a little slow for a few months. I'm joining a new job in march and thus am going to be very busy settling in and making an impression on the new boss. **

**But fear not, I will try to get AT LEAST one chapter every twenty five - thirty days.  
**

**Another thing, I thank all those who favorited, followed and most importantly, REVIEWED the story. They make me work better and faster. So kudos to them.  
**

**Keep the reviews coming and I'll try to do the chapters quicker.  
**

**Now, without further ado, on with the story.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Those Who Dwell In The Darkness**

Itachi sat on the edge of the canyon, gazing into the night sky. Even more than two years later, he still didn't like the mention of his family. His reputation usually scared people to even avoid looking him in the eye, let alone talk. In the Akatsuki, members tended to leave each other's past alone. Hidan had once praised his actions of slaughtering his clan and had offered to let him join his religion. Itachi had put him in tsukiyomi. Neither Hidan or Itachi had ever mentioned what had happened in the illusion, but ever since then, the silver haired immortal had given Itachi a wide berth. Orochimaru, who had been Itachi's partner before his sudden departure from the group had never mentioned konoha, let alone the Uchiha clan. Kisame had once mentioned them at the time they had been assigned as partners when he had observed that both men were similar in the fact that they had killed their village members. After that, it seemed that Kisame had picked up on the fact that it was a touchy subject and had never brought it up again. To have the blonde mention his brother so casually unnerved him. Ever since he had left, he had wondered whether he had made the right choice. In the heat of the moment, he had told Sasuke to become an avenger, in hopes that he would become strong.

As Itachi sat silently, he saw an orange blip out of the corner of his eyes. His features tightened. He was in no mood for company. One of the reasons he liked Kisame was that the man understood that Itachi was used to being alone & silent and that he preferred it that way.

"Sorry."

A single word said in a low voice, brimming with sincerity. Itachi turned to face the blonde who had reached him.

"I am sorry." The blonde repeated. "You felt sad by something I said." Naruto plopped down next to the Uchiha. Naruto glanced at the man sitting next to him. Contrary to people's beliefs, he wasn't totally blind to his surroundings. Some things, like pain and loneliness, he picked up very easily. It may have been because he was so familiar with those emotions and the way people dealt with them that he could spot them when even seasoned ninja couldn't. When this man had arrived, Naruto hadn't really paid attention to him, being distracted by the larger man, but after he had mentioned Sasuke, he had noticed the minute flash of pain in the man's eyes. Naruto was a child who had too big a heart for someone his size. He could never see anyone in pain.

Itachi stayed silent for a while, hoping that Naruto would just leave, but the blonde showed no hints of leaving. Both of them sat in silence for a while. Itachi knew it wouldn't last. He had occasionally been on the boy's surveillance detail when he was in the ANBU corp. He knew the boy lacked patience. Soon, he would start speaking again. A whole minute passed before the blonde's patience finally snapped. Itachi couldn't help but smile inwardly.

"Are you mad at me?" Naruto peered at Itachi's face. It was as expressionless as it had been when he had arrived.

Itachi shook his head, but said nothing.

"So, you forgive me?" Naruto continued, his eyes shining in hope.

"There is nothing to forgive, Uzumaki-kun." Itachi continued to gaze into the night.

"But I made you sad." Naruto shook his head.

"You did not." Itachi assured him, mentally asking himself why he was even bothering. He knew the blonde wouldn't keep quiet, so he switched the conversation to something that interested him. At least get some information while the blonde talked. "What are you doing out here, outside the village?"

Itachi watched as the boy's eyes lost its shine. He listened to the boy's tale in silence. He wanted to point out that the Hokage wouldn't have let an incident like this occur ever again but stopped himself. He didn't want to explain his reasons to the boy. Itachi's eyes went over the boy's blonde hair and blue eyes. Itachi wasn't considered the genius of his generation for nothing. He had put two and two together before he had left the village. If the boy's face had been less round and more lean, he could have passed off as a miniature clone of his father.

It had been a small incident that had triggered his interest in the boy. When he had been shadowing his family in preparation for the day of his mission, he had noticed that his mother would sometimes take some groceries with her when she went out. He had followed her to a house that he knew from his ANBU missions of watching the container of the Kyuubi. While he harbored no ill will towards Naruto, he had been surprised to find her go into the small apartment. Even more surprised to find that Naruto recognized her. Although he just called her Lady, it was clear that it was not the first time she had come. He noticed that her mother cooked him her specialty and sat with the boy as he ate while praising her cooking. His mother just smiled and patted his head like she did to Sasuke and him, when he had been younger.

After that, Itachi had tried to dig up a connection between the boy and his mother. The expression on his mother's face had been of sadness and love at the same time. He was sure that he had never heard his mother ever speak of the boy. After a long search, and by coincidence, he had found the connection. A photograph of a red haired woman and his mother on the day of his parent's wedding. She seemed familiar but he couldn't remember where he had seen the woman. Pulling out more old pictures, he saw many more photographs of his mother with the unknown woman that had a resemblance to Uzumaki Naruto. On a little further prodding, he managed to learn from his father that the woman had been Uzumaki Kushina, Yondaime's wife. It was then that Itachi remembered. The woman had been his mother's best friend. He had met her a number of times when he was younger. He didn't know her much as his mother usually went to the Hokage's house rather than the red head coming to their house. She had been pregnant during the Kyuubi's attack and had supposedly died before giving birth. After that, Itachi had not inquired further. If the Hokage had kept the boy's lineage a secret, he wasn't one to cause trouble.

Itachi turned to look away from the blonde. _I wonder if he ever thought about why my mother never came again._ Itachi pushed his emotions back as he berated himself for such thoughts. He had done what was necessary. Some must die for many to survive. The civil war would have killed many and orphaned more. It was the justification he gave himself every time he felt his heart feel regret. He was brought out of his meditations by a hand tugging at his sleeve.

"Yes, Uzumaki-kun?"

"Um- I came to take you back. Your friend was calling you." Naruto stood up, dusting off nonexistent dirt from his pants.

Itachi stood up as well. He reached out and grabbed Naruto. Once he had a strong grip around the blonde's waist, he shunshined.

* * *

Itachi and Naruto arrived to find Kisame and Haku lying flat on the rocky ground, looking at the night sky. Kisame glanced at him and was relieved to see that his partner was no longer angry. Kisame laughed as Naruto exclaimed about how cool the transport jutsu was. That reminded Kisame about something he had wanted to ask Naruto.

"Say, brat?" Kisame called out. Naruto stopped skipping and looked expectantly at the large man. "How did you learn that jutsu, you know, the Kage bunshin?"

Itachi's eyebrows went up as he heard the question. _He knows the Kage bunshin? Wasn't that a Kinjutsu? _He glanced down at the blonde. Naruto grinned and made a V sign with his fingers.

"I learnt it all by myself from a scroll I brought with me from my village."

"You brought the forbidden jutsu scroll with you?" Itachi couldn't believe what he was hearing. Naruto frowned as he considered the question. "I don't know." He said. He reached into his pouch and took out the scroll he had been practicing from and tossed it to Itachi, who caught it. Itachi opened the scroll to find the jutsu explained in an unknown handwriting. "This is the scroll you learned from?" He asked the boy.

"Yes. I found it in my teacher's closet." Naruto nodded. "Is it the forbidden scroll?"

Kisame almost had a heart attack when Itachi smiled, yes _smiled._ He suppressed the urge to run for the woods before something apocalyptic happened. Uchiha Itachi smiling signaled the end of the world. Itachi reached out and poked Naruto on the fore head.

"Ow." Naruto looked up in surprise, rubbing his forehead. It hadn't really hurt, but he was caught off guard. It seemed that Itachi had caught himself off guard as well. He looked so surprised at his actions that his eyes were the widest Kisame had ever seen. Itachi glanced at his offending hand that had poked the blonde and his smile disappeared. Once again, he was the Uchiha Itachi that was feared as the man who killed, ate and slept with the same expression on his face, without any sign of emotions whatsoever. Itachi resisted his urge to Shunshin away again, seeing as it had been less than five minutes since he came back. Instead he chose to answer the blonde's question.

"No. It is not the Forbidden Scroll." Itachi picked up a medium sized boulder. He transformed it into a large scroll, half the size of the blonde. "This is what the Forbidden Scroll looks like."

Naruto nodded.

Kisame looked on, a little amused at the exchange. He had been right. The boy was interesting. No one had ever managed to make the Uchiha smile, in his memory. Neither the bickering between Sasori and Kakuzu or Hidan's lewd jokes. He and the other boy's (other than Pein) had a pool going on over who would smile first- Itachi or the Leader. It was a pity that no one would believe him if he told them that Itachi had smiled. Not that he would want to, he had money riding on the leader. Perhaps it was time he asked Zetsu to spy on the leader when he was alone with his blue-haired girlfriend. Surely he smiled at her _sometime. _His attention was diverted when he saw that Naruto had turned into an exact replica of him.

"Hey. What's going on?" He glanced at the others. "Why is the brat henge'd into me?"

Itachi merely glanced at him. "He wishes to show us his jutsus." Itachi frowned. He activated his sharingan. "Uzumaki-kun, did you learn this by yourself too?"

Naruto got a proud look on his face. "Of course."

"Well, you're doing it wrong." Itachi deadpanned.

"EHHH?" Naruto deflated comically.

"You are supposed to layer the chakra outside. You are layering it inside your body." Haku explained. He turned to Itachi. "I have already told him that, but he seems to manage it this way, instead."

Itachi reached out and poked the Naruto-Kisame in the ribs. Kisame had to suffer the indignity of watching himself giggle like a girl. "That tickles." Itachi looked at the pseudo-Kisame with a contemplating gaze. "It is very unusual."

Naruto changed back to himself. "How so?"

Itachi looked at the curious eyes of the boy and felt a twinge in his heart. Naruto was reminding him of the times he taught his brother, when he had free time. "The usual Henge is more of a small layer of illusion, draped over one's body. That is why, even if Kisame makes a henge of you, he can't become as light as you. Even if your friend makes a henge of Kisame, he can't lift heavy objects that Kisame can, or fly by henge-ing into a bird." He looked at Naruto meditatively. "Can you henge into a non-living thing, like a rock?"

Naruto considered the question. "I do not know. I've never tried." He grinned and formed the Ram seal. "Here goes." He poofed into a small orange colored rock. Kisame snorted at the color, but Itachi picked it up. He threw it a few times in the air. "The weight has also changed. That doesn't happen in a henge." He had a thoughtful look for a moment, then suddenly, without warning. He threw the rock with all his might. Only a second after he had thrown it, the rock poofed back into a screaming orange ninja, flying through the air, his arms flailing.

"NARUTO!" Haku yelled, aghast. Itachi, on the other hand spoke meditatively, "Has full consciousness of his surroundings. Impressive." Haku was about to rush to his friend's rescue when an Itachi on the other side of the canyon bed leapt up and caught the screaming blonde. Haku turned to see that an Itachi was still standing next to them as well. _Bunshin. _Haku relaxed. The other Itachi brought a still screaming Naruto back to them. He dropped the blonde on to his feet and poofed into smoke. That caught Naruto's attention. He stopped the screaming and turned to Itachi. "You can do it too?"

"Yes." Itachi nodded.

"He can do one better, brat." Kisame grinned. He ignored Itachi's glare. "He can make his clones explode."

"What?" Naruto became excited. "SHOW ME SHOW ME SHOW ME!"

"No." Itachi turned his eyes away from the boy. His excitement reminded him too much of his own brother.

"Aw come on, Itachi-san. What's the harm?" Kisame grinned.

"Yeah….show me please." Naruto looked at Itachi with his blue puppy eyes. This always worked on Hokage-jiji. Itachi, however, was made of sturdier stuff. "No." Kisame shrugged at Naruto, as if to say 'sorry, I tried.'

Naruto pouted. "Fine, I'll try it on my own."

Itachi spun around to face Naruto. "NO!" Naruto was taken aback. "This is too dangerous. You may end up blowing your real self up." Itachi glared at him. "Fine, I'll show you." Naruto's face brightened up. "IF you give me your word that you will not try to recreate this jutsu on your own." Naruto nodded vigorously. Itachi said sternly to Haku. "Keep an eye on him."

Haku smiled, "There is no need. Naruto-kun considers promises binding. If he says he won't, he won't."

While Itachi wasn't fully convinced, he made a clone. The clone jumped away from them. After it moved far enough, it exploded. The explosion wasn't very big, but if it had been standing next to the group, they wouldn't have got off unscathed.

"Cool!" Naruto's eyes were shining with excitement. He turned to Itachi and looked at him with admiration. "That was awesome, Itachi-san." Itachi nodded in acknowledgement. Naruto's next words however, made him glare at Kisame.

"Teach me, please."

Kisame guffawed. He knew that the brat would want to learn the skill. Itachi glaring at him didn't faze the mist nukenin, instead, only made him laugh harder.

Haku also suppressed his smile. He didn't dare laugh in front of the angry man. Naruto, on the other hand, was totally confused. _Why is shark-ojisan laughing? And why is Itachi-san angry? _Naruto shrugged off his thoughts and waited for Itachi's response. Itachi realized that the blonde was expecting his answer. His eyes narrowed and he frowned.

"No." Kisame stopped laughing and Naruto looked at Itachi in surprise.

"Why not?" Naruto frowned, his voice didn't sound like that. Then he understood that he and Kisame had spoken simultaneously, and the man's voice had drowned his own. Itachi frowned at Kisame, who had a genuine surprised look on his face.

"Because I do not wish to." Itachi glared at his partner. Kisame received the answer with a sigh. He had thought that the boy may have warmed Itachi to him as well. Apparently he was mistaken. Naruto, however, didn't give up so easily.

"But why, Itachi-san?" he looked at the Uchiha, hurt. Itachi didn't want the kid to get the wrong idea. He wasn't his teacher. Uchiha Itachi walked alone. _But why? _A little voice asked. _Why must I walk alone?_ Itachi frowned as his inner voice challenged his mind. He glanced at the blonde. The way Naruto was looking at him was so similar to Sasuke's expression when he didn't have time to train or teach his little brother that it almost hurt to look at. _Stop it. _He scolded himself. _The village comes first. You did what you had too. _He stared back at Naruto, unblinking and unflinching. The young ninja looked down.

"Are you still angry for what I said?" Naruto glanced up, "I am really sorry."

Itachi was a bit shaken at the emotion heavy in the blonde's voice. He started to feel his resolve weaken. He panicked. _ I can't let myself-._ He braced himself. _Forgive me, Naruto-kun._

Itachi reached out and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto smiled. Kisame and Haku grinned too.

Suddenly, Naruto screamed as electricity passed through him. Kisame and Haku gaped as Naruto fell to the ground, twitching. Kisame turned to look at his partner. Itachi glared at the shaking form of Naruto on the ground, his sharingan activated as residual sparks on his hand crackled.

"Foolish little boy. Who do you think I am for you to talk like that?" Itachi withdrew his hand as Haku rushed to his fallen friend. He glared at the red eyed man. He was about to attack him when Naruto clutched his sleeve. Haku looked down to see Naruto wheezing. Naruto struggled to get up, but his numb body didn't allow it and he fell back in pain.

"Don't try to get up, Naruto-kun. Keep lying down." Haku pressed the boy's shoulders gently to force him back as Naruto tried to sit up again. Naruto complied as he closed his eyes. Itachi turned and started to walk away.

"Are you satisfied?"

Itachi stopped and glanced over his shoulder. Naruto had opened his eyes and was looking at him. Itachi almost flinched at the intensity of the gaze. Naruto continued. "If not, I can still take a few more of those, until you can forgive me."

Haku glared at Itachi. "Stop talking, Naruto-kun. You have no obligation to this man."

Naruto coughed and smiled. "I can take all your anger Itachi-san. Don't worry."

Itachi couldn't believe what he was seeing. _How is he even conscious? He should still be feeling the residual charge in his body, like a thousand pinpricks._ Itachi watched as Naruto grinned at him. _He is willing to take more of these attacks? Is he stupid? _His mind went back to his ANBU days when he had watched over the boy and the idiotic behavior of the blonde. _Ah_, _stupid question. _He slowly walked back to the spot where the blonde lay. He noticed Kisame position himself to stop any further damage to the boy, alert. It was not needed. He had no intention of doing anything further. He didn't need to. The boy was treating him like this only because he didn't know who Itachi was, what he had done.

He squatted down to bring himself closer to Naruto. Haku felt a shiver run down his spine as he saw Itachi's face. It didn't portray any anger, any hate or _anything._ Perhaps that was why it scared him so much. He had no idea what to expect. He watched Itachi and Naruto look into each other's eyes. "Do you even know anything about me?" Itachi asked.

Naruto looked a little surprised at the question, but he gave it some thought. He looked back into Itachi's eyes. "I know that you were sad when I mention Sasuke-teme. I know that you are a super cool ninja."

Itachi's expression didn't change a bit as he held his gaze with Naruto. "It just shows that you know nothing about me, Uzumaki-kun." Naruto looked expectantly at the young man. "I was not sad when you mentioned my foolish little brother. Only disappointed that he is still so weak." Naruto jerked in surprise. "You are Sasuke's bother?" He forgot to add the insult in his surprise. Itachi nodded. "Yes." Naruto frowned. "But I heard that he has no family, they all died."

Kisame tensed as the blonde mentioned the Uchiha clan's demise. Itachi did not react. "Correct, Uzumaki-kun." Naruto still looked confused. "Tell me," Itachi carried on slowly. "Did you never wonder why he was suddenly alone, in spite of the fact that he was part of a huge clan?" Naruto bit his lip. He had wondered about that. He had even asked someone once, but had only been slapped and yelled at. Itachi watched calmly. Kisame wondered if he should interfere. Naruto nodded. "I did, but nobody told me. I did hear that they were all killed by somebody." Itachi moved closer to Naruto. "You heard right, Uzumaki-kun." Naruto waited for Itachi to say something further. He was listening with complete attention. Itachi suddenly smiled a very horrible smile. "It was I who killed them all."

"Eh?" Naruto gave a start. Haku was shocked as well. This person had killed his entire clan? He edged a little closer to Naruto and slowly started to reach into his ninja pouch. Itachi glanced at him and he froze. Itachi, however, had no plans to fight. He stood up and turned around. He started walking away. Kisame breathed a small sigh of relief. Itachi kept walking on and suddenly, was gone again. This time, Kisame followed as well, after a short nod to the boys.

* * *

Kisame arrived next to the Uchiha, back on the top of the canyon. He looked at his partner, his eyes narrowed to slits. It gave a very scary visage to any onlooker.

"Why did you do that, Itachi-san? Surely there was no need." Kisame walked in front of the shorter man. Itachi looked at him, expressionless. "He was beginning to annoy me." Kisame felt a small pinch of anger. "Annoying? Sure didn't look like it when you were smiling." He growled. Itachi ignored his partner's comment. Kisame didn't take kindly to this lack of reaction. He walked up to Itachi until both were mere centimeters apart. Itachi had to look up to be able to look at the tall man in the eyes. He could have easily cast a genjutsu from his sharingan to cripple the swordsman, but didn't. He didn't want to change partners again. After he had cut off Orochimaru's arm, causing the Sannin to flee, he had been paired with different people and had hated them all, except Sasori, but he didn't like the puppeteer's attitude. Until Kisame had come, he had been working alone for a few months. Now, he had developed a bond, albeit a small one, with him and would not like to fight him seriously. Also, he knew what Kisame said was true. He looked away and walked off.

"Say whatever you want, Itachi-san, but you are only fooling yourself." Kisame called out.

Itachi stopped. "Aren't you coming?"

Kisame turned in the other direction. "You go on. I think I'll go and check on the brat. See if he is in any condition to recuperate without medical help." Itachi could hear the anger in Kisame's voice.

"Why do you care?" The leaf nukenin asked, as he glanced over his shoulder. Kisame didn't bother turning around to face his partner. "He is- was, Zabuza's disciple. Heck, now he is one of the seven Swordsmen." Kisame sighed as a little of his anger left him. "Anyways, I find him interesting." With that, he shunshined back to the boys.

* * *

Haku had lifted Naruto in a fireman's carry and was slowly taking him back inside. He glanced worriedly at Naruto. The blonde hadn't spoken since Itachi's declaration that he had killed his entire clan. Haku knew that Naruto was a kind soul and must be very conflicted right now. Haku was too. He had seen when Itachi had poked Naruto's forehead. That had not been the action of the man Itachi claimed to be. He saw no reason why Itachi would act like a kind person just for kicks. He had also seen the surprised face Itachi had made when he had realized what he had done. Also, the way he had forbidden Naruto to try to perform the exploding bunshin jutsu meant that he didn't want the blonde to hurt himself. Then, moments later, he had almost fried Naruto with his jutsu. Haku couldn't even begin to imagine how the contradictions went together.

He felt Kisame return but ignored the man in favor of his job. He went to their commandeered bedroom and laid Naruto gently down on his bed. He felt Kisame enter as well. He stood silently as Kisame walked up to them and briefly examined Naruto. As he withdrew from the blonde's side, he sighed. "You'll be fine kid. No serious damage, but you are going to be numb for a few hours, so I suggest you try to sleep." Naruto nodded, still silently. Kisame couldn't see the boy's eyes as the blonde's hair cast a shadow over them, but he could see that he was disturbed. He sighed as he walked over to Haku's bed and sat down, propping Samehada next to the wall.

"It's true, kid."

Naruto and Haku both turned to the blue man. Kisame was looking at them with a serious expression. Naruto nodded. Haku sat down next to Naruto on the bed.

"But why?" he asked. He was also feeling a little curious. Kisame just huffed as he leaned back onto the bed.

"Who knows, kid?" He brought his hands behind his head. "Who really knows what goes in someone else's head. Whatever they say, a shinobi rarely lets people know what he is thinking." He glanced at the blonde. "Not even I know truly why he did what he did. He says he did it to test himself, but I know that's bullshit."

Naruto turned to look at the man. "How can you be so sure?" Haku asked.

Kisame laughed. "If he really wanted to test his abilities, why has he stopped now? Surely he wouldn't be satisfied by a successful ambush of his clansmen? No, people like he is claiming to be, are never satisfied. The Uchiha clan might have been elite ninja, but they were by no means the strongest. In the world, there are many more stronger and powerful opponents to be found, yet he never seeks them out. In fact, he avoids conflict whenever possible. " Kisame grinned his shark like grin as Haku looked on confused. Kisame's words did ring true. There were many strong ninja amongst the great nations and nukenin as well. Stronger than ninja of an elite clan, however powerful the Uchiha may have been.

Kisame just scratched his chin. "I just never talk about it, but that doesn't mean I don't think about it." Kisame glanced at Naruto again. "Don't let it get to you kid. I think you just managed to disturb him." Naruto pushed his hair back from his eyes as he turned towards the swordsman. "I don't understand." Naruto had a very confused look on his face. Kisame laughed. While Haku was in no mood to laugh, he felt glad that at least his friend was back to normal.

Kisame continued to chuckle as he sat up to look at Naruto properly. "You see kid, I've known Itachi-san for a few months now. In all that time, I have never seen him smile. Even before I met him, others tell me that he never smiled. Yet, inside of an hour of knowing you, he was smiling." Kisame explained. Naruto made his 'thinking face'.

"Ano se, If he was smiling, doesn't that mean he was happy? If he was happy, why zap me like that?" Naruto looked at Kisame, "I still think he was angry at me." Kisame listened to the blonde, amused. He shook his head.

"I'm pretty sure that it isn't that, kid." He sighed as he thought of his partner/friend. "Some people are so used to the darker things in life, that they can't accept anything but." Naruto looked on as Kisame continued. "Tell me kid, if you sat in the dark for a year, and I let you out in the sun, what would you do?"

Naruto thought for a second. "It would hurt, so I'll try to get back inside."

Kisame nodded. "I think it's just like that, kid. Itachi-san is just reacting to his instincts."

Naruto went back to looking at the ceiling. Kisame glanced at the boy. _I guess he still hasn't cheered up, eh? Maybe this will do it._ "Come on kid, if Itachi-san didn't teach you, so what? I'll teach you a jutsu. How's that?" Kisame walked up to Naruto. Haku smiled. He knew if there was anything that could cheer Naruto up, it was new jutsu. He watched as Naruto looked at Kisame, all the sadness forgotten. Naruto tried to sit up, but the numbness still didn't allow him to do so. Naruto satisfied himself by looking at the swordsman from a half sitting position. "Really, Kisame-san? Is it a cool one-ttebayo?" Excitement dripping out of every syllable. Naruto's eyes brightened, "I know." He looked at Kisame pleadingly, "Teach me the one you used on me. Please, please Dattebayo."

Kisame grinned as he saw his plan come to fruit. He had been right, the kid was hung up on becoming a 'cool' shinobi. However, the boy's request was not one he could fulfill easily. Kisame made a contemplating face as he looked the blonde up and down. "What's your elemental affinity kid?" Naruto just looked confused as he repeated, "Elemental affinity? What's that?" Kisame sighed as Haku explained.

"You remember the scroll you have on different elemental types?" He asked Naruto. Naruto nodded. "Elemental affinity means which element you can use best." Haku tried to make his point clear. "Many higher level shinobi can use more than one type of elemental jutsu. They manage that after lots of practice, but their main element, called their affinity, is usually only one. They practice and develop other affinities later in life." Naruto nodded as he understood. "So, your affinity is ice?" he looked at Haku, who shook his head. "No, Naruto, kun, Ice type doesn't exist naturally. Remember my bloodline limit? This is what it is. My affinities are water and air, my bloodline allows me to use them together to make ice."

Naruto watched Haku wide eyed as he understood. "So that means you have three elements?" Haku nodded.

Naruto turned to Kisame "How do I know what is my element?" Naruto was getting very interested in elemental affinities.

"There is a little test for that." Kisame grinned but Naruto gulped. He had never been good at tests. He looked at Kisame, "Is the affinity decided by the marks? If I fail the test, I don't get any affinity?"

Kisame stood still for a moment, then he began to laugh. He laughed for a good five minutes, holding his stomach. Naruto noted that his laugh was scary like Zabuza-sensei's. _Maybe it is like this in Mist village._ Naruto waited as Kisame finally stopped, wiping tears from his eyes. "You really are one interesting brat, kid." He straightened as he shook his head, "the test isn't a paper-pencil test, although a paper _is_ involved." He chuckled again. "No, you just have to mold your chakra and focus it on the paper." Kisame took out a scroll from an inside pocket of his cloak. He opened it and summoned more scrolls from inside. Naruto and Haku glanced at them as their curiosity got the better of them. Haku could make out a few labels on the scrolls- Clothes, supplies, weapons, medicines etc. Kisame ruffled through them until he picked out one that said 'Old things'. Kisame unrolled it until he reached what he was looking for. He summoned a small packet from it. Both boys watched carefully. Kisame stood up and turned to the kids. He unwrapped the packet and took out a few old looking papers from it. Naruto noticed happily that they weren't big enough to write on. He hadn't been fully convinced that he wouldn't have to write a test. Kisame held out one to Naruto. "Here kid, try it." Naruto accepted the paper and flinched. His arms were still a bit numb and it had taken a lot of effort to reach out. He looked at the paper as he focused chakra on it. The paper split into two. Naruto dropped it in surprise. He turned to Kisame anxiously. "I didn't break it, honest. It happened on its own."

Kisame and Haku smiled. "I know kid. That was the test." Kisame grinned wide.

"Eh?" Naruto made a confused face. Kisame explained. "This is a special paper, kid. When different types of chakra pass through it, different things happen. Look" Kisame took one paper in his own hands. The paper turned wet and started dripping. "Whoa!" Naruto exclaimed. "It got wet." Naruto looked up at Kisame, who nodded. "Yes, it did. Water type makes the paper wet, Earth type makes the paper crumble into dust, Fire type makes the paper catch fire, Lightening type causes the paper to crumple up." Kisame looked at the pieces of the paper Naruto had dropped. He picked them up. "This," he shook the paper pieces, "happens for the Wind type."

Naruto looked at the paper in Kisame's hands and grinned, "That means-"

"Yeah kid, it means you are a wind type." Kisame finished for the boy. Haku put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Congratulations, Naruto-kun. Wind chakra is very rare. It is also very dangerous in a fight." Naruto glanced up at Haku. "It is?", who nodded. Then Naruto made a grand pose. "Of course it is. I am so great. HAHAHAHA.."

Haku also chuckled with Naruto but Kisame sobered them up as he spoke. "That may be nice and all, but it brings a problem to light. I don't know any wind Jutsu." Naruto and Haku turned to the man. Haku understood.

_If Naruto-kun's chakra had been water type, Kisame-san could have taught him, but now it can't be so._

Haku glanced at the blonde as Kisame explained it to him and Naruto's face fell.

Kisame felt bad for the kid too. _If only he was a water type, the things I could have taught him. _Kisame was still thinking when his eyes caught something on the blonde's jacket, something that he hadn't noticed before . Kisame glanced down at it. _Of course._ "Say kid, you are an Uzumaki, right?" He turned to Naruto. Naruto looked up and nodded. "What does that have to do with it?" He asked. Kisame smiled. "You see kid, the Uzumaki clan was a clan from the land of whirlpools. If you are from that clan, you should have some water chakra affinity as well." Naruto listened in surprise. _There was an Uzumaki clan?_ He frowned. "I think you are confusing me with someone else. I've never heard of me having any clan."

"Well, there isn't any more. The clan was lost in the second shinobi war at the hands of Iwa." Kisame remembered. He turned his eye on to the blonde. "You must be a descendant from some straggler that went to Konoha." Naruto was still a little skeptical. Kisame sighed and pointed to his jacket. "See there kid, you have their clan mark on your jacket. If you aren't an Uzumaki of the Uzumaki clan, why do you have that?" Naruto followed the man's finger and saw the spiral he had sewed onto his jacket sleeve.

"This?" He pointed to the spiral. Kisame nodded. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck as he remembered. "It was my sixth birthday present from Hokage-jiji. It was the year he let me join the academy." Naruto scrunched up his face as he tried to remember. "He gave me six of them. He said something like me being her son, now it was rightfully mine, but I didn't really pay attention, I was too excited to finally go to the academy. Since it was the first gift I had that wasn't a scroll, from the jiji, I always kept these with me." Naruto picked up his jacket and fingered the spiral. "The Old man told me to sew it on my jacket if I liked it so much so I sewed them on six of my jackets. Come to think of it," Naruto looked at the ceiling as he focused on his memory. "He looked kind of sad and happy at the same time when I showed it to him later."

Kisame and Haku listened silently. Naruto turned to them and asked, his voice dripping with hope. "Does that mean I have a clan?" Kisame and Haku glanced at each other. The naked desperation in the blonde's voice affected them. Haku replied, carefully choosing his words. "Um, Naruto-kun. Kisame-san told us that the Uzumaki clan died in the war. That means your clan doesn't exist anymore." He watched for a response. He bit his lip as he saw tears forming at the corner of the blonde's eyes. "Don't be sad, Naruto-kun." Haku tried to comfort his friend. Even Kisame felt a tad bit sorry for the brat. They were both surprised when Naruto gave them a genuine smile. "I'm not sad, Haku. I'm so happy that I can't stop crying." Naruto wiped his eyes on his jacket that he had in his hands. He saw Haku and Kisame look at him, concerned.

He grinned. "Don't you see? I have a clan." Haku and Kisame glanced discreetly at each other. Perhaps the boy had taken the news hard. "But, Naruto-kun, like I said before-" Haku started, but was interrupted by Naruto. "I know what you said, Haku. But don't you see? I have a clan. They may be dead and gone, but I have a clan." Fresh tears flew down his face as he sniffed. Finally Haku understood. Naruto kept going. "All my life, I have been alone. No one knew who I was. All Hokage-jiji told me was that my name was Uzumaki Naruto. He didn't tell me anything about my parents except that they were dead, that they died on the day of Kyuubi's attack." Haku stiffened a little at the mention of the demon, hoping Naruto wouldn't say anything to reveal his secret. He didn't trust Kisame with it. Naruto, however, wasn't thinking anything, but refrained from talking about the bijuu. "I always wondered about my family, but I never knew anything about them. But now, even if they are dead, I know that they were my family." He wiped his tears . "I have a clan. I am no longer alone." He swept a hand across the spiral. "I am Uzumaki Naruto of the Uzumaki clan." He looked up at the other two and grinned wide. "To me, it is enough."

Kisame sighed as he sat down next to the blonde and draped one arm around him. He didn't say anything. Words were not needed.

After a few minutes, Naruto finally went back to normal. He glanced up at the blue skinned man next to him. "Does this mean you can't teach me anything?"

Kisame scratched his chin. "I can teach you general jutsu, like Shunshin or chakra bust. I could even try a few sword techniques, but that's it. Almost all of my jutsu are water type, kid." Naruto nodded, disappointed. Kisame was trying to decide whether to ask Itachi if he would show the kid a few wind jutsu. He was sure to have copied a few with his sharingan when his eye fell on Samehada.

He blinked, and then smiled. He turned to the blonde. "Say kid, there is something we can try." Instantly, he had Naruto's full attention. "You see, my sword is special. It can eat chakra if in contact with a person." Naruto nodded, but didn't understand why Kisame was telling him this. "It is also quite picky and choosy about the chakra it likes. And because of this, it can differentiate between lots of different chakra." Kisame stood up and picked the great sword up. He brought it closer to Naruto. "It can also use the eaten chakra to do attacks."

Naruto watched the sword in admiration. "COOOOL!" Kisame grinned. "Damn right, kid." He offered the handle to Naruto who looked at Kisame, puzzled. "Hold it, kid. That way, Samehada will eat your chakra and separate all the different types into individual chakras." Kisame explained. "Then we will let it focus chakra into these papers" he picked up a few more of the special papers. "Samehada will focus the different types of chakra into different papers." Naruto made an excited face, "That's cool and all, but I don't understand what that means." Kisame looked at Haku for support but it seemed that the black haired boy hadn't understood either. Kisame sighed as he began. "Look kid, you heard how high level ninja can have more than one chakra types?" Naruto and Haku nodded. "They don't develop new types. They already had them from the beginning, but hadn't trained enough to use it properly." Both boys understood. Naruto looked at Samehada. "So you mean, the sword will be able to find out all the types I have?" Kisame nodded. "Yeah. But it won't mean that you will be able to use the jutsu right away. You will have to train yourself until you can access the water chakra at will. Understand?"

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. _It just means I'll have to train hard. That's all._ "I'll be able to do it later though, right?" Kisame nodded. Naruto grinned as he reached out for handle of the great sword Samehada. As soon as he touched it, Naruto waited with bated breath to feel a small drain. Nothing happened. He glanced at Kisame who was sniggering. "What?" he asked annoyed. Kisame grinned. "I have to tell it to start sucking the chakra, gaki." Naruto huffed, embarrassed. "What are you waiting for, ossan?"

Kisame narrowed his eyes at the word again. "I am not that old, brat. I am barely 30."

Naruto shrugged. "To me, that's like, three times my age. So that makes you an old man in my book. Anyways, start already."

Kisame grumbled something about the lack of respect in the new generation.

"See?" Naruto said, "you even talk like an old man."

Kisame glared at the boy. "Perhaps we don't need to do this." Kisame reached out to take the sword back. Naruto panicked. "No-no. Don't."

Kisame grinned, "I am an old man. I am tired. I need to rest." Naruto quickly picked up his cue." You aren't old at all. Compared to Hokage-jiji, you are like a small kid." He smiled sweetly at Kisame. Kisame chuckled. "Fine." He put his hand on the wrapped blade of his sword. "Get ready." Naruto nodded. He gasped as he felt the pull from the sword. Naruto was already very low on chakra after he had been practicing Kage bunshin. The fight with Kisame, where he had made a thousand clones had almost cleaned him out. As a result, he had less chakra than what the sword was sucking out of him. He suddenly felt a flash of something hot in his stomach.

Deep inside his mindscape, a crimson eye snapped open in the darkness.

Kisame watched as Samehada sucked the chakra out of the boy. As Naruto gasped, he wondered whether he should have let the boy rest and recover his reserves. He watched Naruto sway a little. He was about to stop his sword, when Samehada flinched away from Naruto' hand.

Kisame felt Samehada communicate with him. _Daaaarrkkkkk Chhaaaakkkrraaaa, vveeerrrryyy foouuullll._

Kisame was surprised. He had never seen his sword react like this to anyone's chakra. He was about to enquire when Naruto fainted.

Immediately, Haku and Kisame bent over him. On checking his vitals, Kisame sighed. He looked at Haku, "Just chakra exhaustion." He poked the blonde in the stomach, causing said blonde to yelp and sit back up with a start. "Oye kid, you ok?" Kisame peered at the boy. Naruto shook his head and slapped his cheeks a few times. "Yeah, just felt dizzy for a second." He looked at the sword excitedly. "So, anyways, is it done?" Kisame chuckled inwardly. _Even now all he cares about is the chakra test. You really are interesting gaki._

"Yeah, it's done." Kisame held out five pieces of the testing papers. He laid them down on the length of the sword, one by one, some distance apart. "Now, don't worry if only two react. It depends on which elements you were born with. Very few have more than two. My bet is that we find at least one more- water." Naruto nodded. Haku peered closer too. He wondered if he could ask the swordsman to do this for him too. Kisame laid his hand on Samehada again. "Let's begin."

Instantly, in a flash of blue, the first paper split into two. "This one we knew." Kisame pointed to the old pieces on the floor. The next paper took on a soft blue glow and turned damp. "Nice, kid." Kisame grinned at the blonde. "Although it is a bit weak. See how the paper didn't get drenched, just became damp? You will need much work before you can use an actual high level water jutsu." Kisame hadn't expected any further action when the third paper glowed blue on the edges and a few crease lines appeared on its surface. Kisame's eyebrows went up. "Looks like a little bit of lightning as well." He glanced at the blonde. "Three is pretty impressive kid. Not many have more than two."

"HAHAHA. I am awesome." Naruto puffed out his chest in pride. Kisame shook his head, "But it doesn't mean much if you can't train yourself to use it." Kisame was speaking when Haku pointed to the fourth paper. "Look."

Both Naruto and Kisame turned to look. The fourth paper was glowing with a red aura. _Fooouuulllll Pprrreesscceeeennnncccee _Samehada hissed. The paper just blackened up into burnt paper. Kisame looked shocked. Haku glanced at him. "I'm guessing from your expression that it is not normal for the paper to do that." Kisame kept staring at the crisp of the paper that remained. "I've never seen anything like this." He stated. "For fire, the paper usually burns up, leaving ash behind." He reached out and tried to pick up the paper but it dissolved to ash the moment Kisame touched it. "Also, I've never seen red chakra." Haku's thoughts went to the Kyuubi. He needed to distract Kisame before he became too curious. "perhaps some bloodline limit?" Kisame considered it. "Maybe." He said after a fashion. "Do you think you have a bloodline limit kid?" They turned to see that Naruto had fallen back on his bed and was asleep. Kisame sighed. "We should let him rest." He looked over to Haku. Haku nodded.

In the dark hallway outside the door, a figure dissolved into smoke. Neither of the mist nukenin sensed it.

* * *

Back outside, on the surface near the edge of the canyon, A figure looked up as memories of the clone returned. Itachi looked back up at the sky. He would have liked to be down there with his partner. He even knew wind jutsu that Naruto could learn. He had arrived when they were testing his nature type. He had heard Naruto crying after finding about his clan. He had felt sad for the boy. This was exactly why he couldn't be there. With Naruto around, Itachi lost the calmness he had managed to force on himself. He found himself remembering things that he shouldn't. He thought of the blonde as he gazed at the stars. _I am sorry for my actions, Naruto-kun, but I belong in the darkness of the Shinobi world. That is where my path lies and that is where I must walk._

In hindsight he should have known that no matter how much you hide, Uzumaki Naruto never gives up on his friends.

* * *

**Soooo, How was it? Was Itachi written nicely or was he not? I mulled over a lot of different scenarios but in the end this one was the best.**

**I don't want Itachi to remain the same taciturn character we see in cannon. I'm trying to portray a hidden side of him. one that we have seen in flashbacks and stories from others, like Tobi or the Sandaime. A man who is fiercely loyal to his village and its people, yet is troubled by the choices he has made.**

**Anyways... As many of you have guessed, I'm building up for a student sensei relationship between the kids and the Akatsuki pair. Just imagine... Naruto trained by Ita-freakin-chi and Kisame. That's the stuff stories are made of ;-)**

**So, like always, drop me a line in reviews.**

**Remember. More reviews = more motivation = quicker updates.**

**Next update will be in march... roughly around 6th - 10th.**

**Until then, enjoy.**


	11. Like The Rays of the Sun

**Sooo, I'm back again with a new chapter... I really worked hard on this chapter and suffice to say, it was the most difficult one I have ever written. While I hope I have done it justice, a nagging voice keeps saying that it could be better. maybe I'll redo this later... when I have the time. Right now I'm in the middle of a very busy patch. Most likely I'll be too busy for the stories for at least two weeks from now. **

**As a result... (keeping fingers crossed and trying to avoid the rotten tomatoes...) No updates in april. Sad, I know, but if I just try to update without putting in good effort, the quality will drop and that is unacceptable...So, sorry and please bear with me ^_^' **

**Review and I'll be better motivated and try to find time even where there isn't any...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Like The Rays of The Sun**

"Makyō Hyōshō"

Haku completed his seals. He concentrated as two ice panels began slowly forming behind and in front of him. He panted slightly as he felt his chakra level drop. He looked at the mirrors he had formed. He kicked it with all his might. He felt pleased as he saw the mirror take the attack without any damage. His hard work was paying off. His last attempts had cracked from his attacks. He needed these mirrors to be nearly indestructible to achieve what he had planned. Satisfied by the strength of the mirrors, he began the next stage. He entered the ice mirror.

It was an ability he had discovered by accident when he had slipped on a frozen pond during his first year with Zabuza and his group. Instead of falling down on the hard ice, he had somehow managed to enter the ice layer. He also found that he could move very fast inside the ice layer. Now, he was using this ability to develop what he was sure would be his ultimate jutsu in the near future. However, it was far from perfect. Just two were not enough. To achieve what he had envisioned, he needed enough to create a dome. He needed more practice.

Haku jumped from mirror to mirror, faster than what lower level ninja would be able to follow. In the brief period outside the mirrors, mid-jump, he threw his senbon at the target he had made on the rocks. He started with a single target but went on to multiple ones as his aim got better and better. After a few hours, Haku stopped, panting. Now all he needed was to increase his speed to fight high level ninja and increase the number of mirrors. He watched as his mirrors slowly starting to melt as he removed the chakra holding it together. He wiped the sweat off his face as he slowly made his way over to Naruto's training. The blonde had been taken by Kisame to work on his sword techniques.

While Samehada and Deshi no Ken were very different swords, they were both larger than your typical sword and hence used similar movements for maneuvering. He arrived to see seven Kisame throwing rocks the size of Haku's head at Naruto who was standing in a 10 feet wide circle painted on the ground, dodging or parrying with his sword. Haku noticed that Naruto's movements were a lot more fluid than what he had come to expect from the blonde. One of the Kisame glanced at him and beckoned him to his side.

"Care to join in?" Kisame offered him a rock from the small pile had at his side. Haku grinned. "With pleasure." He took the offered rock and looked at Naruto. He analyzed Naruto's pattern for a few seconds and then threw his rock at Naruto's left flank, aiming just below his ribcage. Naruto tried to parry it but he couldn't move the sword closer to his body fast enough and the rock connected with a smack. Naruto huffed as he dropped to his knees and panted.

"Aaaand that's five brat." The Kisame next to Haku said as the others dispelled into water. Naruto glared at Haku. Kisame grinned. Looking at a medium sized alarm clock sitting on a rock, "With ten minutes to spare." Naruto pushed himself back up, a little frown on his face. "Why did you have to butt in, Haku? I had his pattern down and could have managed to dodge until the time finished." He huffed crossly as Haku avoided his eyes, embarrassed. He hadn't known it was a test. He was about to apologize when Kisame whacked Naruto on the head. "Shut up, shorty." Naruto turned his glare at the large man instead. "You should be glad that your friend managed to point out your mistakes during training, instead of you getting killed in an actual battle." He clapped Haku's back so hard that the boy was pushed forward. "This way, you can get better. Remember what I told you in the morning. A complacent ninja-"

"- is a dead ninja." Naruto said reluctantly nodding at the wisdom of Kisame's words. "But I almost managed to not get hit for the past half an hour. Dattebayo." He complained as he stretched a bit. He turned to Haku. "How did you hit me on the first try anyways, Haku?"

"I saw that you were always trying to parry the stones coming to your left side, instead of dodging. When Kisame-san threw the one rock at your right and you began to slice at it, I knew you couldn't parry fast enough to stop my stone." Haku explained. Kisame nodded appreciatively as he listened. "You've got a good head on your shoulder kid." He patted Haku's head. "Pity I can't say that for this one, though." He kicked at Naruto, who just managed to avoid it while giving Kisame the finger. "Anyways, kid. You know the drill, get on with it." Kisame grinned. He threw the weight bands to the blonde who scowled as he caught them. Kisame just grinned back, baring his pointy teeth.

Naruto cursed all the while he put on his bands and gave Kisame a final glare as he raised his sword flat above his head and jogged off, leaving the two behind. Haku watched the retreating figure of his friend, orange shining in the evening sun. "Where is he going?" Haku looked up at Kisame who had taken the spot on the rock he had used as his seat last night. "Oh him? He is just going for his penalty five mile jog."

Haku glanced at the small spick of orange in the distance. "Why is he going so slow?"

Kisame grinned to the open sky. "Because I added another twenty pounds to his weight bands." He turned to Haku and the boy shuddered inwardly at the glint in Kisame's eyes. "Each." Kisame turned back to gaze at the sky.

Haku was stunned. "Twenty each?" he asked. "That means you increased Eighty pounds? Adding that to his already assigned weight in the bands, that's more than two hundred and fifty pounds in total"

"Yup" Kisame sniggered." Three hundred if you consider the sword as well." Haku turned to the direction of his friend. He could no longer see Naruto. "He is still doing pretty well."

Kisame glanced at the ice user beside him. Coming to a decision, he jumped off the rock in front of the boy. "Come on kid, show me what you've got." Haku raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You wish to spar with me?" Haku looked on as Kisame took Samehada into his hands. "Yeah." Kisame grinned. "I need to see your skill to decide what sorts of missions you can do later." Haku entered a stance, but frowned at Kisame's words. "Later?" Kisame swung the sword at him and Haku jumped back. In a flash, Kisame was beside him, his feet aiming for Haku's face. "Yeah, later. You wouldn't want to freeload on our hard earn money now, would you?" Kisame grinned.

Haku blocked with his arm and grasped the extended leg with his hands and pushed himself into the nukenin, his feet stretched out into a kick. Kisame leaned back to allow the boy to sail over his head. He was surprised and caught off guard when Haku twisted above him to lash out with his fist. He quickly punched the boy into the air. Haku felt as if all the air had escaped his lungs as he flew up into the air. He managed to breathe as he was coming down. The problem was that he was coming down straight into Kisame's kick. He quickly went through his seals and used his unfinished jutsu, hoping it would finish on time.

Two mirrors of crystal ice formed. One behind him and one behind Kisame.

Haku barely managed to enter the ice as Kisame's kick crashed into the mirror, sending it flying. Haku cursed as he watched the crystal crack. He panicked as he saw the mirror going towards a large rock, spinning wildly. He watched terrified as the crystal hit the rock and shattered.

Haku had never told anyone how it felt to be inside the ice crystals. It was like he was in a deep ocean, just below the surface, in darkness. The world outside visible through the mirror sized doorway. Now that doorway shattered and scattered. Suddenly Haku was surrounded by darkness, with no way out.

* * *

Naruto jogged slowly, cursing the shark-like ninja. _Increased the damn weights. I'm sure it's more than a ten pound increase. God, my muscles are screaming._ Nevertheless, he ran. He had made the bet, he would follow through it. That was his nindō. He did, however, regret making said bet. He jogged on, ignoring his building fatigue.

He had run almost all of his five miles when he came across a weird dome shaped earth sticking out of the ground. He ran up to it and glanced inside. Inside was a bed made of stone that had a sleeping bag thrown over it. Thrown over the bed was a cloak he recognized.

"It is bad manners to enter some one's living area without their permission, Uzumaki-kun."

Naruto spun around quickly and saw a cloak-less Uchiha Itachi standing at the entrance, holding a – _rabbit?_

Itachi noticed Naruto's gaze. "Dinner." He explained. Naruto looked away from the rabbit, embarrassed at being caught staring at Itachi's food. _ I hope he doesn't think I want some._ Naruto bowed an apology and hurried out of the dome. Just as he went outside the dome, his stomach let out a loud roar. He flinched and was about to run off when he heard Itachi's voice.

"Wait."

He turned and saw Itachi looking at him. Unknown to him, Itachi was cursing up a storm inside his mind.

_Why the hell did I say that? I should avoid talking to him. Not to mention I almost killed him last night. He probably thinks I'm bipolar or something._ Itachi saw that Naruto was waiting for him to say something. Another loud growl echoed in the canyon. Naruto went red as Itachi's eyebrows went up a notch. The last growl had been pretty impressive.

"When did you last eat, Uzumaki-kun?" Itachi finally asked.

"I had a snack around one in the afternoon." Naruto mumbled, looking at the ground.

"You sound like you could do with some food." Itachi pointed out the obvious. "Come, make yourself useful." Itachi walked out with a few sticks and handed them to a confused Naruto. "Make a small fire." Naruto set them down in a bunch and started to make fire like Zabuza-sensei had taught him. In under a minute Naruto backed away to reveal a bright flame roaring away.

Itachi had skinned the small game by now and had cut it into two pieces. He stuck each one on a stick and propped them near the fire. Itachi made a few hand seals and clapped his hands together. Two small mounds protruded out of the ground. He went and sat down on one of them. Naruto waited for a few seconds before he sat down on the other one.

Itachi and Naruto sat in silence for a few minutes. In his mind, Itachi was trying to decide whether to say something or let it play out by itself. He was still wondering when Naruto spoke up, effectively ending the need for Itachi's line of thought.

"Ne, Itachi-san." Naruto looked at Itachi. Itachi glanced at him, hoping he wasn't going to talk about last night's incident. Naruto, however, had a different question. "You were a Konoha shinobi right?" Itachi hid his confusion at the question as he nodded.

"Do you know anything about my clan?" Naruto asked, hopefully. Itachi shook his head.

"No. All I know is that the Uzushiogakure no sato fell during the second shinobi war. I didn't even know about the Uzumaki clan until I became a nukenin and travelled the lands."

Naruto accepted the reply with a disappointed expression. He glanced at Itachi again. "Do you know about, you know?" he glanced at his belly.

Itachi understood. "Yes." He replied as he gazed into the fire, wondering where the blonde was taking this.

"Oh." The blonde fell silent for a while. Itachi reached over to turn the sticks to expose the other side of their dinner to the fire. "Does everyone know?" Naruto asked in a small voice.

Itachi shook his head. "No. Only those who were active shinobi at the time of the attack and the civilians who were on the council knew back then." Itachi prodded the burning sticks deeper into the fire. "But in less than a week, the news spread like wildfire. Even I heard of the demon child from my clansmen. The Hokage was furious." Itachi remembered. The village leader had called a village meeting, en masse.

"He passed a law stating that no one was to mention the knowledge that you were the Jinchuuriki in public to anyone ever again. The punishment was set at three months imprisonment and a heavy fine. That stopped the open mentioning of your name as a demon, after a few civilians were convicted and jailed for a few months." Itachi glanced at Naruto, who was hanging on every word.

"But the whisperings did not stop. A large faction of civilians was still actively against you. The ANBU raided a secret meeting where they were discussing hiring some Konoha shinobi independently to kill you. It was disturbing because there were many who would have agreed, blinded by the fact that their loved ones died at the Kyuubi's hands. The Hokage executed the ringleaders for treason."

Itachi glanced at Naruto again the blonde boy listened to the story about his early life. "That was what finally brought it all to a conclusion. The Hokage raised the penalty to death and completely forbade the telling of the knowledge to those who did not know, like the smaller children who didn't know anything." Itachi picked up the roasting sticks and tossed the larger piece of the rabbit to Naruto. Naruto tried to protest but Itachi silenced him with a glare.

Naruto bit into his rabbit and was amazed to find that it had some seasoning on it and it seemed familiar. Where had he tasted something like this? He glanced at Itachi, who was eating his own rabbit slowly.

"So the kids do not know anything?" he asked. Silently Itachi nodded. "Most of the children who were younger than six years during that time must have forgotten by now. Any younger would not even have known what the elders were talking about. You became an urban legend, a story to send kids to bed on time."

Naruto gave a start. "You mean the creepy story about the undead baby that kills other kids who are naughty is about me?" he demanded aghast.

Itachi smirked at the righteous indignation oozing out of the boy. "Yes."

Naruto looked shocked. "You mean all those times I went to bed on time was because I was scared of myself?"

Again, Itachi smirked, remembering an old memory from his ANBU days. It had been his squad captain back then, who had told Naruto the story of the cursed child after an especially trying day when the hyperactive blonde had refused to go to sleep.

"Yes." Itachi nodded.

Naruto stared into the fire, eyes wide. "Well, that just sucks."

Itachi resisted the urge to say 'yes' in his monotonous voice.

Before he realized it, , he was smiling again. He quickly corrected himself.

He glanced at the boy. Thankfully, he was still staring into the fire and hadn't noticed this small lapse in control. Itachi stared at the boy, unable to understand why the boy affected him in this way.

It wasn't just that he was the same age as Sasuke or that he saw his brother in the blonde. He had, after all, managed to kill his emotions and cast tsukiyomi on Sasuke, so it wasn't that. He noticed that the blonde suddenly started chuckling, which became a full blown laugh. Itachi wasn't an inquisitive person by nature, but his curiosity was piqued.

"What is it, Uzumaki-kun?" Naruto stopped laughing for a moment and started to say something but was attacked by a fit of laughter again. Itachi waited for it to subside.

"It's just that…. HehHeh… most of the kids who poked fun at me in class were scared of an imaginary version of me…HehHeh."

Itachi saw the humor in this little tidbit but refrained from smiling because suddenly he understood what it was about the boy that affected him so much.

The sheer cheerfulness of the young jinchuuriki.

A moment ago, he was hearing the story of how he is so hated in his village. Yet he found something positive to focus on. Itachi wasn't a fool. He knew the boy felt the pain inside. He just chose to focus on the brighter things in his life. As he thought about it, Itachi felt a stab of annoyance.

How could the boy just glide over the messy portion of his life? Didn't he know you were supposed to be unhappy? Naruto saw the expression on Itachi's face and stopped laughing.

"How can you just laugh?" Itachi asked, his voice tight with anger. "Do you not feel anything? Is there no pain in your heart?"

Naruto regarded the nukenin with seriousness. "I do, dattebayo." He said simply. "That is why I know, that I must continue to be happy. If I don't, I lose to whoever up there," he pointed to the skies, "gave me this burden to bear."

Itachi just stared.

"When I was young," Naruto took another bite from his rabbit, "some guys caught me alone in the park one night and beat the crap out of me. When I asked them for their reason, they just laughed and said that because this was my fate, to be in pain for the rest of my life." Naruto regarded the fire with a somber expression. "I have fought against it ever since that day. No matter what happens, no matter how many times they strike me down, I haven't truly lost until I don't stand up and smile again." Naruto's voice broke a little. "No one can take that away from me."

He glanced at Itachi. "When you left the first time yesterday, I saw the pain in your eyes. I recognize it because I have seen those eyes many times in the mirror. I have felt a pain that I don't wish on even my enemies. The pain of loneliness is like a never ending nightmare. But" He threw down his empty stick into the fire. "I choose to ignore the pain and find whatever happy thing I can. To me, that little happy moment is more important than the continuous stabbing in my heart." He glanced sideways at the Uchiha. "That is why I know that you too can stand up again, whatever your pain may be."

Itachi listened to the boy's reasoning. Unlike before, he didn't care about the boy's pain. For the first time since he had killed his clan, he was losing control of his rage.

"That is just talk, Uzumaki-kun. You can stand there and say this because you haven't truly been tested by fate yet." He seethed. "You stand there defiant of the hand you have been dealt with. You rebel against whatever forces you believe are responsible for your plight. You stand there a victim." Itachi stopped to breathe as Naruto listened. "You haven't been forced into a corner. A corner where no matter what you choose, you damn yourself to an eternity of misery." Itachi stood up, his features tight. "The lives of thousands of innocents haven't been thrust into your hand." He turned and walked back to the dome.

"You are right." Itachi stopped as Naruto walked up behind him. "I haven't ever experienced those. So I don't know what to say about it." Itachi turned. Naruto had a very serious expression on his face. "But I am sure, if you tell me, I will show you the way where you can smile again."

"I do not want to smile again." Itachi said softly. "Not after what I have done."

"You are talking about the real reason why you killed your clan?" Naruto asked. Itachi spun around to look at Naruto.

"What do you mean real reason?" Itachi's voice filled with surprise.

Naruto shrugged. "I do not think the reason you gave is the real one." He regarded Itachi with a piercing gaze. "You are too much in pain to have done that merely to test yourself."

Itachi looked at the boy, burning under the intense blue gaze. Itachi felt as if those cerulean eyes could see into his soul, a feeling that he felt whenever his eyes had met a certain blonde Hokage in the past. "Fine, Uzumaki-kun. I will tell you my tale."

Naruto perked up but Itachi raised a hand. "BUT, this is not something I can allow reaching other ears. If your reply to my question doesn't satisfy me, I _will_ kill you." He bent his head towards the boy in a questioning gesture. "Do you understand?" Naruto nodded, serious. "If I can't even help someone who is in so much pain, my life is not worth living." He replied somberly. "I will not go back on my word."

"Very well, Naruto-kun." Itachi walked back. "I guess if we are to know each other better, I should call you by your first name." He sat down on his mound again. Naruto went to his own seat. Itachi watched the small embers of the burnt wood fly in the small wind.

"The night the Kyuubi attacked Konoha," Itachi began, "it not only changed your future, Naruto-kun, but also of the Uchiha clan." He pointed to the small glowing ember fly away. "Even that small spark, if given the right surroundings, can start a fire so large, that it can burn down entire forests." Both pair of eyes followed the spark as it was carried away by the wind. Itachi gave a twisted smile, "Similarly, small incidents led to what would always be remembered as the night of the Uchiha massacre."

* * *

Haku looked around in the darkness. As soon as the mirror had shattered, his window to the outside world had shattered as well. He had been able to see the outside world through a thousand different miniature crystals, but now, they were melting away. Haku felt his heartbeat rise as he realized that he was trapped. He was trapped FOREVER. Haku felt himself begin shivering. _I should have considered this possibility. _Now it was too late.

Haku tried to perform the jutsu again, focusing on the outside world. He only managed to form a mirror inside the void. He tried to enter it but he couldn't. The crystal was as solid as other surfaces. Haku moved towards the small pieces of the shattered doorway and tried to look outside. He couldn't make sense of whatever he saw.

Haku felt as if his heart would explode, it was beating so hard. Being trapped in an inescapable void was not on his list of things to do. Slowly, Haku could feel his body go limp from defeat. His mind went to Naruto. To lose Haku so soon after Zabuza-sama would be a big shock for him. As Haku thought of the boy, he felt his shivering stop. The mere vision of his friend's face gave him courage. A smiling face that took all problems head on. Never giving up.

_Unlike me right now. _

Haku took a deep breath. _I can't give up so easily either._

He imagined Naruto's face again as he turned towards the void, seeking some other way out. He could see Naruto's smiling face shining. _Wait, shining? _ He noticed that there actually was something shining in the distance. He quickly moved towards it. He saw that the light source was inclined away from him. That was why he hadn't seen it until he moved away from the spot he had entered the void. As he neared it, he saw that it was another mirror. _Another mirror?_ He reached it and saw that it was pointing at a squatting Kisame in the distance as the man peered inside the broken remains of his mirror.

_Is this-?_ Haku looked around at the surroundings of the mirror.

"Yes it is." Haku said to himself. This was the second mirror he had created to jump into, behind Kisame. Almost hesitantly, Haku reached out to touch the surface, hoping that it would allow him to get out. He felt the familiar pull as soon as he touched the surface, signaling his journey outside.

Kisame turned sharply as he felt Haku's chakra return. He saw the boy stumble out of the mirror and collapse on the ground.

"Where were you, kid? I thought you died." Kisame made his way next to a panting Haku.

"So did I." Haku managed to pant out as his shivering returned. To make it back after he had believed himself to be stuck alone, until he died of starvation, had got his heart racing. The adrenaline was making his whole body shake and spasm. But he smiled up at the nukenin. "I think I just got the idea for an even better jutsu."

Kisame glanced at the boy and grinned. "Whatever, kid. Are we continuing or not? Although, you have been gone for half an hour." As much as Haku wanted to test his theory out, he knew he was exhausted now. "No, Kisame-san. Perhaps tomorrow." Already, in his mind, Haku was thinking of the possibilities this new discovery of his could lead to.

* * *

Itachi gazed into the fire. He had told Naruto the story up till the point where he had put Sasuke in tsukiyomi and left. He had left no detail out, except anything about the masked man who had claimed to be Madara.

Every kunai thrown, every slash of his ninjato, every one of his clan that he had killed, with their names. Even the fact that he had put them all in genjutsu where they wouldn't even know it before he stabbed their hearts.

This was the first time he had said it all aloud. After his 'mission' had been completed, all he had told Danzo and the others in his mission report were the words "Mission completed."

Threatening to release confidential information if they harmed Sasuke didn't really count as mission report.

He glanced at the blonde. Ten minutes into the tale, the blonde had started weeping as he listened. Tears fell unashamedly down his face, creating a fairly damp patch of ground at his feet. Even now, a minute after Itachi had fallen silent, the young boy still hadn't stopped. He sniffed and wiped his eyes with the sleeves of his jacket.

"So, Naruto-kun. Answer my question: Why should I smile? Do I even deserve to?" Itachi looked straight at Naruto.

Naruto looked back into the black eyes of the young man in front of him. While Itachi's face was expressionless, the desperation in his eyes was visible to Naruto. Itachi didn't really want a deep answer to his question, neither did he want a logical one. Naruto could see that in his heart, Itachi truly wanted to move on, but his guilt of not being able to resolve things without the killings was crushing him every day.

So he punished himself for the crime he had done, because there was no one else who could.

Naruto was sure that if it hadn't been for Sasuke, Itachi would have run into Hunter nins on purpose and would have let them kill him.

He looked into Itachi's eyes. "Because that is what everyone would have wanted." He said simply.

"You told me that your parents understood. Did you ever wonder why they understood you killing them all?" Itachi did not respond. "Because to them, you were more important than the clan. More important their lives. What you feel for the village, they felt for you." Naruto sniffed as he stood up and walked over to Itachi and hugged him. Itachi stiffened.

"It's okay to smile. You were made to choose between the innocent and your clan. You made your choice. Like Hokage-Jiji used to say to me, we should always have the strength to change what we can and the strength to accept what we can't, and pray that we have the wisdom to know the difference.", slowly the blonde's arms went back to his sides. " Instead of focusing on the lives you ended, think about the lives you saved from a war, Itachi-san."

Naruto moved back. Absent mindedly, Itachi felt his shirt, that was now damp. He glanced down at Naruto.

"The Lady that used to come to your house." Itachi's voice was sounding foreign to himself, regardless he began.

"Huh?" Naruto's eyes widened at the sudden change in topic.

"Do you remember her?" Itachi continued. Naruto nodded, but he was getting concerned. Itachi was sounding a little weird. His voice was also a little different.

"What do you remember?" Itachi asked.

Naruto blinked. "She was pretty." He said. "She used to come once or twice a month ever since I got my own house. She said that I couldn't tell anyone as if anyone found out she wouldn't be able to come anymore." Naruto smiled. "She made really nice food." Then his smile faded. "But she stopped coming a few years ago. I guess someone found out."

Itachi glanced at the boy. "Did you know her name?" he asked.

"No." Naruto shook his head. "She said I shouldn't ask, so I didn't."

"Her name," Itachi said and then almost stopped. He was going to put everything on the next words he spoke. "was Uchiha Mikoto."

"Mikoto?" Naruto said, not understanding the weight behind those words. "Uchiha Mikoto. Nice nam – " Then it hit him. His wide eyes went to the dead eyes of Itachi. "Uchiha." He repeated.

"Yes." Itachi nodded. "Uchiha Mikoto. My mother."

This caused Naruto to stare even further. "M…other?" he repeated numbly.

Itachi nodded and waited for the words that would damn him. Call him a monster that he was. Now that Naruto had a personal stake in the matter, he wouldn't think the same that he was before Itachi revealed this information.

"You're her son?" Naruto's small voice was like a kunai to his heart.

Itachi merely nodded.

"When I said what I said before, you know, about they, your parents, understanding you. I was mostly guessing." Naruto said wiping a newly formed tear in his eyes, "But now I know." He looked up at Itachi. "She really loved you."

Itachi blinked in confusion.

"She would tell me stuff you know, when she came over. Not any names, but she mentioned her sons a lot. She told me how the older one was a bit too serious for her liking. I guess that was you." He chuckled. "I agree. You're too serious, Itachi-san." He looked up at the stars in the sky. "From what I know of her, she wouldn't want you to stay sad like this, in fact she would want you to smile. She always asked me for some jokes that could make you smile and I'd write them down in a little scroll she gave me. "

Itachi blinked again as he processed this information. He remembered that her mother would sometimes tell jokes to him and Sasuke out of the blue. Sometimes even forget them half way and then would sit for a while trying to remember before finally consulting a small scroll.

"That was you." He said.

"What?" Naruto asked but he shook his head. Itachi too looked at the stars. It was true. His mother always tried to get him to smile. It was a private joke between them. She would try to make him smile, and he would try not to.

"See." Naruto pointed towards his face, "not hard at all to smile.", and Itachi realized that he was smiling as he gazed at the stars.

"I'm glad you're smiling." Naruto said. "I promised her that my jokes would get you to smile."

Itachi closed his eyes as he felt an unfamiliar burning in his eyes.

"Naruto-kun." The blonde looked up. "Last night, you said you would take more of my raiton attacks. Why did you make such an offer?"

Naruto was surprised at the change in topic. "Because my pain would be less than what you were feeling." He smiled.

After a long silence, Itachi heaved a long and deep breath. He felt a weight leave his soul. Itachi's mind was no longer shrouded in the darkness of his crime. The young blonde had come into it, shining like the rays of the sun and illuminated it.

"Thank you." Itachi bowed his head. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. Itachi held his hand out to Naruto. Naruto grinned and shook it.

Then he looked up at Itachi as the man opened his eyes and saw red eyes. Darkness engulfed him.

Itachi caught the boy before he could fall down. He laid Naruto down gently. After that Itachi knelt on the ground looked up at the stars, and for the first time after that fateful night, he cried.

* * *

**Whew... Another chapter done.**

**I really worked hard on this chapter... Keeping Naruto innocent yet profound at the same... very difficult. While I think I did okay-ish, if anyone had a better scenario, let me know, I'll consider it and if it's better, I'll edit the chapter...**


	12. Teachers, Old and New

**Hey people! Yes, yes I know, it's been a while... What can I say? Been really busy at work. 12 hrs on average in the office.. whew!**

** Consider this update a miracle... Inspiration hit me one weekend and I was able to finish it this month, which at one point of time , looked impossible.**

**I read all the reviews but alas, I couldn't reply at the time. I would like to thank each and every one who took the time to review.**

**Its you guys who keep me motivated.**

**So, without further chit chat, Enjoy the chapter.**

**Chapter 12: Teachers, Old and New**

* * *

Iruka watched as his students rushed out of the academy, happy and excited. It was the end of this year's school term. A month of vacation before they had to return here again. Two years to go for their final graduation test. Iruka lifted the heavy paperwork and started towards the teacher's lounge. If Naruto had been here, Iruka would have taken him for ramen tonight. Iruka stopped at a window and looked outside. _Where are you, Naruto? Please be safe wherever you are._

* * *

Haku and Kisame sat in the old main dining area which the three had turned into a bedroom after the mist nukenin had decided to stay for a few days. They had dragged in three beds for themselves. The room was large enough to still have plenty of space left. Here, Kisame sat explaining the concepts of the Prison water technique to Haku. He stopped and frowned as he looked towards the door. In a few seconds, the door opened and Itachi entered, with Naruto hanging over his shoulder. Haku jumped up immediately and rushed to check on his friend. Itachi handed the blonde over to the ice user.

"He is under a sleep genjutsu. Other than that, he is fine." He informed the anxious boy.

Kisame raised an eyebrow at his partner. Itachi gave him a short nod. "It would have been difficult to explain why we weren't together if summons came." He referred to the jutsu they used to communicate in the Akatsuki. Kisame accepted the excuse without questioning. He did notice that his friend/partner was a bit less wound up than usual. Almost as if he was at peace.

Kisame peered closely at the Uchiha. The young man didn't have the tight features that were telltale signs of his bad moods. Itachi noticed Kisame's gaze. He turned to his partner. He didn't want to insult Kisame's intelligence by lying more than necessary. "I and Naruto-kun resolved our differences." He spoke, looking away from Kisame.

Kisame suppressed a smile. "I understand."

Itachi knew Kisame was trying hard not to laugh, so he avoided looking at the blue skinned man. Instead, he focused on Haku. "You can remove the genjutsu if you want."

Haku nodded. He forced some chakra into Naruto to snap him out of the Genjutsu. Naruto opened his eyes and looked around dazed. Then he realized where he was. He blinked at Haku, who smiled back. Naruto was a little confused. "How did I get here?" he asked, blinking.

"I brought you back here, Naruto-kun." Naruto glanced to his side and saw Itachi sitting there.

"Oh." He remembered everything that had happened a few hours ago.

"I put you in a genjutsu, Naruto-kun." Itachi said and Naruto remembered. After he had looked at Itachi and his red eyes, he had fallen into darkness for a moment.

Then there had been lots and lots of crows. A lot of those crows had joined to make Itachi's head and upper body. Itachi had told Naruto that he had cast a genjutsu on him. Then he had told Naruto to never tell anyone what he had been told by the former leaf nin. Itachi had taken some time to explain the consequences if this got out. Naruto had to admit, all of them were pretty scary.

Naruto sat up and glanced at Itachi. He grinned at the man. "So, _now_ will you teach me the exploding clone jutsu?"

Itachi's lips quivered. "Perhaps tomorrow. Tonight, you rest."

Haku nodded in agreement. Kisame stood up and nodded to Itachi to follow him. Itachi took off his cloak and set it down. He wasn't going to relish the swordsman's questions.

Itachi reached the entrance to the base and found Kisame leaning against a rock. "So." Kisame grinned. "Got to you too, huh?"

Itachi looked at him questioningly. Kisame pushed off from against the rock and started to stretch. "Haku told me that the blondie somehow made Zabuza a better man." He grinned his shark like grin. "Now you come in with the brat over your shoulder and on good terms. So, I'm asking if he got you too?"

Itachi glanced back at the base, where the two boys were inside. "Naruto-kun….. has an interesting," Itachi searched for an appropriate word, "perspective" he said after a few moments, "on life."

Kisame nodded. "Yeah, I felt that too. The kid is interesting, all right." Kisame glanced towards the base as well. "Not to mention the kid is a pretty good learner. He got down all the moves I taught him in a few hours."

Itachi hid a smirk behind his hand as he thought of the dead-last tag Naruto had gotten in the academy. He regained his expressionless mask as Kisame turned to him and pointed the Samehada at him. "So, I was wondering if the kid made you soft. Let's see."

Finally, Itachi understood. Kisame wanted to fight. "Very well." Itachi walked in the middle. "Terms?" he asked.

"B-rank and below. No funny eye business. By that I mean your _other sharingan eye._" Kisame grinned. Itachi accepted. He had no wish to use those eyes anyways.

Kisame went and stood opposite Itachi in the middle. "GO." He shouted and both of them disappeared in a blur.

* * *

Haku woke up the next morning to find the Mist nukenin prodding him with his sword. "What are you doing, Kisame-san?" he murmured as he began waking up properly.

"Rise and shine boy. The shrimp has already left to train with Itachi-san. It's time we started as well." This piece of news got Haku up and alert.

"How long ago?" the boy asked.

Kisame grinned, sensing a small rivalry. "Half an hour."

Haku nodded and immediately got out of bed.

"I'll give you ten minutes boy, I'll be waiting at the entrance." Kisame turned and walked away.

After ten minutes, Haku ran to the entrance. Kisame stood up from the chair he had been waiting in. As Haku walked out, he noticed some changes in the landscape outside. "What happened here?" he asked surprised.

Kisame turned his face away. "Oh, nothing. I and Itachi-san had a little friendly spar last night." Haku looked at his new teacher.

"Friendly?"

"Yup, friendly." Kisame slapped him on the back.

"We decided to stick to B rank and below jutsu." He frowned. "I used Mizurappa at a lower level, but Itachi san said it wasn't fair. I told him that I had not used it at full power. It could have ended then but then he used the fire dragon missile at" Kisame made quote marks with his fingers. "low power." He snorted. "Low power my burnt ass."

He looked at Haku. "It kind of got out of hand after that."

Haku looked at the man incredulously. These guys were supposed to be feared nukenin? Fighting over little things like this didn't portray maturity. Kisame he could understand, but he had expected better from Uchiha Itachi. He glanced at the surroundings again.

He sighed.

"So," he asked "what are we doing today, Kisame-san?"

Kisame jumped away and started to make hand seals. "Watch closely." Haku nodded and paid attention. "This is the **Suiton: Teppodama.**" He spit out water bullets that crashed into the rocks, cracking them. "If you fire these with the appropriate strength, these can go through trees." He smirked. "Practice these until you can at least make a decent impact on the rocks. I do not expect you to crack them for some time. But I do think you should be done within the week."

Haku nodded. He went through the hand seals and tried it himself. He managed a single water bullet, and that itself wasn't very fast. He glanced at Kisame for his reaction. Kisame looked a little impressed. "I didn't really think you would make even one on the first try." Haku smiled at the words. It was nice to be complimented. Zabuza wasn't much of a motivational teacher.

Kisame sat down on a rock and got comfortable.

"Again."

Meanwhile, on the surface, Itachi had just finished a small warm up spar with Naruto. He stood and analyzed the blonde's weaknesses. Although the blonde could use a large number of clones, his technique was very rough. While the numbers might work against genin level ninja, any other ninja with a decent taijutsu or ninjutsu could manage to fight back. He looked at an expectant Naruto watching him. He sighed. There was no easy way to say this.

"Naruto-kun." He looked down at the boy.

"Yeah?" Naruto looked at him expectantly.

" Your fighting skills are pathetic."

Naruto winced at the honest evaluation. Itachi continued. "When you fight without clones, you use the hidden mist's taijutsu style."

Naruto nodded. "Zabuza-sensei taught it to me."

"Yes, but when you use clones, you throw any form of technique out of the window and suddenly start swinging your fists like a street brawler." Itachi looked at Naruto. Naruto started to fidget a little under the gaze of the Uchiha. "While you have the advantage in numbers, you lose out in skill. Now, I want you to make no more than three clones this time. Use your taijutsu to create openings for the others to attack." Naruto nodded.

He bit his lip and asked, "How do I do that?"

Itachi considered the question. He made the cross seal of the Kage bunshin and made a clone. "Now Naruto-kun, I will attack you at your speed. Notice the pattern of my attack." He got into the stance of Naruto's taijutsu style. Naruto watched wide eyed as Itachi executed a perfect attack pattern that Zabuza had taught him. He was instantly knocked off his feet. He glanced at the Uchiha in awe. "You know the Mist Dragon style, -ttebayo?"

Itachi shook his head. "No, Naruto-kun. I merely copied your movements with my sharingan." He watched as the blonde boy made a confused face. _Of course, he doesn't know about the sharingan._ He took a deep breath and explained his kekkei-genkai to his student. Naruto listened in awe.

"Have you copied any wind jutsu?" he asked excitedly, hoping to find a teacher for his element.

Itachi smiled at the boy's excitement. He poked the boy on the forehead. "Yes, Naruto-kun." Naruto started to say something but Itachi stopped him. "Yes, I will teach you a few, but later. Right now, we must focus on what we are doing."

Naruto nodded, his eyes shining. Itachi went a little distance backwards as Naruto entered his stance. "Remember what I did." Itachi instructed. "When one of you attacks, the others must attack in a way that dodging is not easy."

Naruto nodded and made three clones. The four Narutos nodded to each other. Then they approached Itachi cautiously. The first one jumped and swiveled to execute a kick. Itachi ducked to see another kick aimed at his lower body heading for his face. He smiled and blocked the attack. Two Narutos appeared on his either side and tried to roundhouse kick his back, effectively boxing him in.

"Very good, Naruto-kun." He smiled. "But not good enough, I'm afraid."

He grabbed the clone whose kick he had blocked by the foot and swung him in an arc towards his back. He slid forward at the same time as the clone smacked into the Narutos behind him. The Naruto that had jumped up in the beginning tried to knee him in the spine as he came down but Itachi stretched his leg backwards and kicked him in the stomach. It dispelled from the force. Itachi turned to see the rest of the clones dispel as well. The real Naruto was panting as he lay on the ground.

Itachi stood up.

"What are you waiting for, Naruto-kun?" he entered into a stance. "Again."

* * *

Kisame watched as Haku finally managed to shoot three bullets in one go. "All right kid, let's see how well you can do in a battle condition." Kisame jumped into the middle and tossed Samehada into the air. He finished his seals and shot seven bullets towards Haku. "Suiton: Teppodama."

Haku dodged to his right and rolled on the ground. "Hissatsu Hyōsō." He slammed his palms into the ground. Kisame jumped into the air to avoid the ice spears. He caught Samehada as it was coming down and slashed at the ice attack, shattering it. Haku formed a series of half seals, surprising Kisame. Kisame went on alert as Haku finished.

"Hijutsu : Sensatsu Suishō."

The shattered ice shards formed a large number of ice senbon and flew towards Kisame. Kisame used Samehada as a shield as the needles reached him. He barely reached the ground when he had to dodge another round of ice spears. Kisame ran on the ground, bent low to increase his speed. He swung his sword at the boy and Haku, who back flipped to some distance. As soon as he stopped, Kisame appeared in front of him, with a feral grin on his face. Haku just managed to finish his seals. He clapped his hands together as he jumped back. "**Hyoton: Hitami Tate."**

A wall of thick ice formed in the air between them. Kisame almost ran into it. He stopped and swung Samehada at it. The wall cracked. Kisame grinned as he drew Samehada back for another strike but the cracks began to heal themselves. Haku smiled. _Naruto-kun's scroll was very helpful. _

Kisame jumped over the wall. _Using extra chakra as self repairing function in the jutsu._ He was impressed. This was not a skill he expected such a young boy to know.

Kisame ran right at Haku as the boy created a few water clones. All of them threw senbon at him. Kisame zigzagged through the attack. Another set of ice spikes lunged at him out of the ground. Kisame smashed them with Samehada and ran through the shards to find that Haku had disappeared.

"Suiton: Teppodama."

Kisame reacted instantly and avoided three water bullets that rushed past him. He glanced up to see Haku descending upon him ice forming on both his arms. The ice grew to form blades. Haku swung his arms, which now acted like swords of ice at Kisame. Kisame jumped back. He frowned. He couldn't risk shattering the ice with his sword, lest he break the boys arms as well.

Haku pressed forward, slashing with his sharp ice at the larger man. He used rotating body attacks to push Kisame back. He knew that the mist nukenin wouldn't attack his arms. Even though it was a ploy that wouldn't work in a real battle, he continued. _In a real battle, Kisame-san would have killed me ten times over by now._ Haku smiled as he saw Kisame frown. As Haku approached him, Kisame thrust Samehada into the ground and grabbed the ice protrusions with a hand each. He grinned at the surprised boy.

"Nice strategy, boy." With a display of strength, Kisame yelled and snapped the ice right above Haku's hands. As soon as Haku was free, he jumped back, realizing that his ploy had failed. Kisame picked up Samehada and rushed at Haku.

Haku realized that the man was going to close the distance in order to put him at a disadvantage. Haku slammed his hands on the ground and froze the area around him, ten meters in every direction, making it slippery. Kisame grinned. _Not bad, kid. _Haku made two water clones that rushed at Kisame, throwing senbon. From this close, Kisame didn't have the time to dodge, so he did the next best thing. He swung Samehada in a wide arc, effectively removing needles from his path. The clones also got caught in the swing and were dispelled. He jumped over the ice patch, right at Haku. _But not good either. _He swung Samehada at the boy, catching him in the side. To his surprise the boy turned into water which splashed all over him. Kisame was busy looking around him and failed to notice that he was standing on the ice. Below him, a head and two hands came out of the ice in his blind spot, behind him.

"Suiton: Teppodama."

Three water bullets hit Kisame in the back even as he jumped away on hearing the voice. Kisame turned to see Haku coming out of the ice on the ground. Kisame remembered that the boy had used a similar move with crystal mirrors. He accepted the loss of this challenge with poise.

"So, it isn't just those mirror things that you can enter, is it? You can enter any ice surface." He commented. Haku smiled and inclined his head to signal that the man was right.

"Very nice, kid." Kisame grinned. "you've got a pretty good head on your shoulder."

"Thank you, Kisame-san." Haku accepted the praise with a smile.

"Continue practicing." Kisame said as he sat back down on his favorite spot. Kisame gazed at the sky, wondering how Naruto was doing.

* * *

"Do you understand now?" Itachi asked as Seven Naruto clones finally managed to dispel a single shadow clone of Itachi as he sat and watched, giving hints in between. Over the last two hours, Naruto had learned the efficient way of using Kage bunshin. Itachi had showed him some basic kata of a new style. That style was more suitable for team assault and was very useful for Naruto who was beginning to like fighting with his shadow clones. Using the new style, Itachi showed him that he could achieve the same results with ten clones now, that he was unable to get with fifty.

"Hai, Itachi-san." Naruto straightened as the rest of his clones dispelled. "Now can I learn the exploding clone?" he begged with puppy dog eyes.

Itachi hid a smile. "Very well. I did say I would teach you. Come here Naruto-kun." Itachi walked over to the blonde as Naruto rushed to Itachi as well.

"Please make two clones." Naruto nodded and made two clones.

"Now" Itachi started, "I will tell you the method but only your clones can try to do this jutsu."

Naruto made a face. "Why not me?" he asked. Itachi tried to think of a way to make the blonde understand. "You see, Naruto-kun, this technique utilizes the volatility of chakra. Usually, the chakra we use in our ninjutsu is molded in a half and half ratio of physical energy and spiritual energy. Do you understand?" he glanced at the boy. Naruto nodded. "Yeah, Haku taught me that."

Itachi began again, "Do you know why?" Naruto tried to remember for a few moments before shaking his head. Itachi explained. "Physical energy is pure, unadulterated energy. Individually, it needs to burn up the instant it is created. Too much of it cannot be created and stored without spiritual energy. That is why we can lift a hundred pound stone ten times, but can't lift a thousand pound stone one time, even though the work done is same." Naruto nodded.

Itachi glanced down and was surprised to see that Naruto was jotting down notes in a small notebook. He hadn't thought Naruto to be a note-making kind of a person.

Whatever, Itachi didn't mind as long as Naruto understood.

"Spiritual energy, on the other hand," Itachi continued when Naruto looked up for more, "is control."

Naruto perked up. "I remember Haku telling me that the better your control of spiritual energy, the better is the jutsu."

Itachi nodded. "Yes. That is because the spiritual energy is the control factor of the chakra."

Itachi made a clone that walked a small distance away. "When you and I make shadow clones, Naruto-kun, we make them entirely of chakra." Naruto nodded as Itachi explained. "Currently, the clone has a balance of both energies. BUT" Itachi looked at the Naruto clones, who were listening as closely, "If you manage to separate the spiritual energy from the mix, while compressing the complementary physical energy, you can hold it for some time. Then just release it all at once." Itachi pointed at his clone who nodded and exploded.

Naruto and the clones watched in understanding. Itachi walked up to the place where the clone had exploded. "When you release the physical energy suddenly, the chakra explodes."

Then he looked at Naruto warningly. "This is why, Naruto-kun, you must never try to do it in your real body." He explained. "You may accidentally blow your body up. While you won't blow like a clone as your body isn't totally made of chakra, your internal organs will be blasted apart, and you _will _die nonetheless."

Naruto gulped as he imagined himself blown up, on the ground with his insides fried. He shuddered at the image. He hastily promised himself to _never_ try the technique in his body.

This thought brought a new puzzle to Naruto-kun. "How am I supposed to learn this jutsu if I can't practice it?" he looked at Itachi, confused. "Through your clones." Itachi explained.

"Oh! Through the clones, of course." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "How?" he looked up at Itachi.

Itachi's eyebrows went up. "Have you not noticed?" he asked surprised.

"Notice what?" Naruto asked.

Itachi sighed. He beckoned a clone to his side. The clone walked up to him and Itachi bent to whisper something in his ear. Then he straightened and looked at the real Naruto. "Could you hear what I said to him?" he asked. Naruto shook his head. "I just told him the name of this technique." He told Naruto. "Now dispel him." Naruto nodded and the clone poofed into smoke. Naruto's eyes widened. He looked at a smiling Itachi.

"**Bunshin Daibakuha.**" Naruto said, amazed. Itachi nodded. "But how?" Naruto asked. Itachi explained the initial usage of Kage bunshin to Naruto. Then he told him about the possible uses of the technique in information gathering. At the end, Naruto was visibly excited. "Does this mean I can use it to train too?"

Itachi looked surprised, but nodded. "Seeing the amount of chakra you have, I guess you can."

"You mean that I can learn stuff faster if I use clones? That is so awesome, dattebayo." Naruto skipped right next to Itachi.

"Yes, but only for certain things." Itachi interrupted.

Naruto looked at him questioningly. Itachi waved a hand towards the other clones. "Your clones can help you sharpen reflexes, practice chakra control but not in speed enhancement." He explained. "All physical development is possible only by your real self. You can gain taijutsu experience, but to better it, you will have to practice yourself and make muscle memories." Naruto understood what Itachi was trying to tell him. He grinned. It wasn't like he wanted shortcuts. Something that Itachi said caught his attention.

"Can I learn my elemental jutsu quicker with clones?" he asked. Itachi considered the question. He looked down at Naruto. "You can't just _learn _elemental Jutsu, Naruto-kun." He said shaking his head. "First, you need to be able to access your elemental chakra freely. Only after that, you may start trying to learn Elemental Jutsu."

"I don't understand." Naruto looked at Itachi, tilting his head slightly. Itachi hadn't expected him to understand in one go either. He looked at the blonde, thinking about what his clone had heard the night before. Wind element was the hardest to control. Unlike his own fire element, Wind techniques required only Wind chakra to successfully execute jutsu. Any other type chakra threw the jutsu off balance. While he could use Wind jutsu he had copied, it was the sharingan that molded the chakra, not him consciously. He had no idea how to train Naruto to use wind chakra. He decided to be frank with Naruto.

"You need to understand Naruto-kun, that wind element is not the easiest to use." He spoke to the confused blonde. Naruto understood that Itachi was trying warn him about the difficulty.

"You mean I can't do it?" he asked.

Itachi shook his head. "No, Naruto-kun. That is not what I meant. What I mean to say is that in order to master wind chakra, intensive training is required. With the help of your clones, you may be able to do it faster, but it will still take time."

"So that means as long as I train hard, I can do it, right?" Naruto asked, his eyes shining. He loved a challenge. "I don't mind hard work. I'll show you I can do it, dattebayo." He declared.

Itachi didn't quite know how to tell the blonde. "That is all well and good, Naruto-kun. I don't doubt your resolution. However, there is an obstacle."

Naruto looked at him questioningly. Itachi took a deep breath. "I have no idea how you can train to develop your wind chakra."

He watched as Naruto looked at him, an incredulous expression on his face. He had finally found someone who knew Wind jutsu and could teach them to him but he couldn't learn them because he didn't know how to use Wind chakra? It was like letting him loose in Ichiraku with his mouth taped shut. Itachi watched as Naruto processed this information. He watched in sympathy as Naruto groaned and put his head between his hands. Itachi tried to brighten the boy up.

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun. I will try to find out the appropriate training techniques so that you can practice. Until then, concentrate on Bunshin Daibakuha." He tried to remind Naruto of his present commitments. Naruto straightened and looked at Itachi with his face still a picture of disappointment. "But I am not supposed to do that, remember? The clones are supposed to learn that while I do something else dattebayo."

Itachi had to agree with the blonde. He thought of a new idea. "Say, Naruto-kun," he caught the blonde's attention. "how about I teach you another jutsu?"

Naruto looked a little interested. "It isn't a wind jutsu, right?" he asked.

Itachi shook his head and smiled. "No. It is a regular jutsu. The fact that you can perform Kage bunshin will help you a lot."

Now Naruto began to look his normal buoyant self. "Ano se, ano se, Which jutsu is it?" he asked, excited. Itachi smiled at the boy's change of mood.

"Kage shuriken no jutsu." He told the boy. Naruto made a confused face. "Eh-?"

Itachi began explaining the jutsu to Naruto. "Like you can make clones of yourself with Kage bunshin, you can make clones of the shuriken or kunai you throw with this jutsu." Naruto considered this jutsu. He looked up to Itachi, not impressed. "If I want to throw more than one kunai, can't I just throw ten at the same time? What's the use of this jutsu?" Itachi smirked at the question. "Observe." He said to the boy. He took out a kunai and threw it towards one of his clones. He formed the seals. "Kage Shuriken no jutsu."

Naruto watched with his eyes wide as a single kunai turned to fifty mid-attack. His clone never had a chance to dodge. The attack area was too large. Itachi turned and looked at Naruto. "Still think it is useless?" he asked. Naruto shook his head, his eyes shining.

"THAT was so COOL!" he yelled. Itachi smiled at the reaction. He watched Naruto get excited as he rushed over to where his clone had dispelled to take in the damage caused by the move. Itachi felt a nice feeling in his heart.

_Is this what it feels like to be a sensei? _He smiled. Fate had given him a chance to contribute towards the building of the next generation. He had never thought he would ever teach after he had escaped from Konoha. Itachi had always been a peace loving young man. He hadn't wanted to kill. It always hit him as ironic that he was so good at it. He had never wanted to join ANBU. It had been his father's dream. Itachi just wanted to reach jounin as a duty to his clan, otherwise he would have been content to join the academy as a teacher or take a genin team . After he made jounin he had wanted to have a genin team of his own someday. All this had been before he became involved in his father's coup attempt and became a double agent, living in a world of lies and betrayals. Now, he had a chance to realize his wish, in whatever small capacity he could.

Naruto rushed back at him. "Teach me, Itachi-san." He smiled as he began showing Naruto the jutsu again, slowly teaching the boy.

* * *

Kisame was going through his own sword techniques when he sensed Itachi approaching. Haku also looked at them as the duo returned. Once again, Naruto was slung over Itachi's shoulder. Kisame raised an eyebrow at Itachi. Itachi decided that it would be best to avoid any misconceptions.

"Chakra exhaustion." He explained, before Kisame and Haku reached the wrong conclusion. Haku was a little surprised on hearing this. He had seen Naruto go on for hours without suffering a significant drain in his chakra.

"What were you doing, Itachi-san?" he asked, "I've never seen Naruto run out of chakra yet."

Itachi nodded. "Usually, he wouldn't have, but he was using Kage bunshin and Kage shuriken together." He informed the mist boy. "Kage bunshin uses up a lot of chakra. Kage shuriken uses less, comparatively, but still drains the reserves if used continuously. Naruto kun used at least a few hundred clones and tried the Kage shuriken fifty times, successfully twenty times." He glanced at the boy, still a little surprised himself. He had known that Naruto had huge reserves, but to watch it in action was really something else. "Had it been any other person, he would have died three times over."

Kisame smirked. "Yeah, us large chakra holders do have an advantage over the others." Kisame lifted his sword and settled it on his shoulder a little smugly. "So, how did it go?" he asked Itachi. Itachi thought for a few moments. "Naruto-kun certainly has a knack for hard work. I didn't expect him to master Kage shuriken in such a short while. I know that he can do the Kage bunshin, but I expected him to take at least a day to manage the Kage shuriken." He smiled. Again Kisame had a tingling feeling. He needed to ask Itachi-san to stop doing that. At least until they caught the leader smiling first.

Itachi was still looking at the limp form of Naruto on his shoulder. "If this keeps on, I will run out of the jutsu I can teach him." He said to Kisame. Kisame's eyebrows went up. "Even you?" Itachi nodded as he faced Kisame. "Before I can show him wind jutsu, he needs to be able to draw wind natured chakra freely. I don't know how he can do that. I will need to look it up."

Haku was standing with the two men, listening. "Um, excuse me, but I may have a solution."

Itachi glanced down at Haku. "Um, Naruto kun has a scroll on the five basic chakra types. I think it has training techniques for each of them as well." Haku continued.

Itachi blinked. _Yes, that will work._

He glanced at Haku again. "Very well, Haku-kun. Lead the way."

All three started walking towards the base, with Haku in the lead, Itachi in the middle and Kisame bringing up the rear. Both S-rank ninja sharply turned their heads to look in a certain direction as they sensed a newcomer.

"Tired as I am, I would still like to know what the hell is going on?"

Haku's Eyes widened as he swiveled around, shocked to hear a voice he had not thought he would hear ever again. In the evening light, a tall silhouette was visible.

"Z-Zabuza-sama?"

* * *

Zabuza leapt down from the rock he was standing on, to appear in front of the surprised group. Unlike usual, he wasn't just bandaged on his face. His entire left arm was in a thick and tight roll of bandages. All in all, he looked like death nearly took him. His eyes went to his unconscious student, slung over a S-rank nukenin's shoulder. Haku noticed Zabuza's gaze and hastily intervened before the swordsman misunderstood. "Naruto-kun fainted from chakra exhaustion while training in the jutsu Itachi-san taught him."

Zabuza looked at the Uchiha and Itachi nodded. Zabuza didn't appear to be satisfied.

"Why are you teaching a jutsu to my student?" he growled at the leaf nukenin. Itachi stared back, expressionless. They were both staring at each other when they were distracted by a chuckle. After a series of chuckles, Kisame started laughing really loudly. All the others (minus Naruto, 'cuz, he is out cold and all) turned to look at him. Kisame tried to stop but failed and continued laughing. He clutched his sides as he roared with mirth. Zabuza finally snapped and aimed a kick at his fellow swordsman. Kisame just managed to block the kick with his arm. He stopped laughing, but was still chuckling.

"What the hell is so funny?" Zabuza glared at Kisame as the latter continued to smirk.

Kisame lowered the arm he had used to block and grinned wide and looked at Zabuza. "I never thought I'd see you getting all protective over a brat." He chuckled again. "The look you were giving Itachi-san. It was so funny. Like Itachi-san was a pedophile or something."

This remark made Itachi glare at his partner as well.

Haku tried to stifle a smile that was tugging at the side of his lips. He was aware that unless someone changed the topic, there was going to be a battle royal between the three, with the possibility that Itachi-san and Zabuza-sama ganging up on Kisame-san. He didn't want Kisame-san to get beat up, after all, the man had taught him a new jutsu. Also, as much as he would love to see Zabuza-sama go up against strong ninja like the other two, he could see that Zabuza sama was tired and more importantly, recovering from multiple injuries. So he interrupted by saying something that had been piercing his heart for days.

"I thought we would never see you again, Zabuza-sama." Try as he might, Haku couldn't keep his voice from breaking. Zabuza turned to look at the young boy. He reached out and patted the boy's head. He didn't say anything. There were no words to say.

Kisame looked at Zabuza with interest as well. "How are you even alive?" he asked. "I find it pretty hard to believe that you managed to defeat a Sannin."

Itachi glanced at Zabuza as well. Zabuza was covered in bandages. He could see the bandages even on Zabuza's chest peeping from under the sleeveless black vest the man was wearing. His entire left arm was covered in thick bandages along with his right shoulder and biceps. It was evident to his eyes that the man was very tired. More so than a ninja of his level should be, after travelling from the base Naruto had told him about. Itachi's eyes went over other indications that hinted at Zabuza's true condition. In his opinion, Naruto could take out the man if he tried really hard. For the swordsman to travel in such a condition, risking chance encounters with hunter nin, he must have been really worried about the boys.

Zabuza huffed at his colleague. He was about to answer when he started feeling dizzy from exhaustion again. Itachi noticed this. "Perhaps we should go inside. Momochi-san needs to sit down." Haku nodded and the entire group made their way into the room being used as bedroom. As soon as they got in, Zabuza collapsed on a bed. Zabuza let out a small groan as the fatigue he had been pushing back descended upon him with a vengeance. He had been pushing himself for the past five hours to reach the boys before sundown.

The others waited for Zabuza to get comfortable. Zabuza kicked off his sandals and lay down on the soft material. After a few moments, he turned to look at the others. Kisame raised his eyebrows in enquiry. Zabuza sighed.

-_flashback-_

_Right after Haku escaped, Zabuza started going on the offensive continuously, so as to stop the Sannin from following the boy. He had to hold the toad summoner for at least half an hour to give the boys a good head start. Haku was smart, he would hide his tracks properly. After that time, a single man wouldn't be able to track them properly. The base where the boys were going was also nearly untraceable. No one would think to look at the bottom of the canyon._

_Jiraiya defended against the sudden onslaught from the swordsman. Make no mistake, Jiraiya could have taken him out quickly if he tried hard enough, but Jiraiya was curious to see how far the nukenin would go for the boys._

"_You were no match for me with the boy here, you think you can defeat me by yourself?" he chuckled at Zabuza._

"_I don't need to defeat you. As long as I can hold you off until they get away, I win." Zabuza growled as he attacked with his sword. Jiraiya dodged skillfully, making seals all the while. Zabuza noticed a clone of the toad sage spitting out oil. Without even thinking about it, Zabuza leapt away, twisting in mid-air to keep an eye on his opponent. By then, the real Jiraiya had released a fire attack at the oil, making it explode in a fury of flames. Even at a distance, Zabuza could feel the heat of the explosion. If that had hit him, he would have been a crisp. Zabuza leapt again, this time trying to reduce the distance between himself and his opponent. He wasn't a long ranged fighter. More of a close to midrange fighter. He needed the man to be within his sword's range. He hadn't fought such a skilled opponent for a long time. Kirigakure jutsu was out of question. He couldn't afford to be careless. As soon as he touched the ground, he dashed at the Sannin, his sword in position and building up chakra for his attack. _

"_Oni no dai San no Tsume: Jūjigata Kiba" In a flash, he slashed two times at the Sannin._

'_Shit' Zabuza thought as Jiraiya managed to dodge his attack. This was the strongest attack he had developed for Kubikiribōchō, and it had failed to connect. Zabuza stood panting as Jiraiya landed away from him. He watched the Sannin make seals and slam them into the ground. "__**Kuchiyose no jutsu."**_

_A toad as tall as Zabuza appeared, wielding large horns protruding from his shoulders. _

"_Gamasuzan." Jiraiya nodded a greeting to the toad._

_Almost instantly, the toad and summoner began their attack. It was evident that the toad was used to fighting with the ninja as they didn't even need to coordinate their attacks. Each one of them complimented the other perfectly. Zabuza was getting hard pressed to avoid the attacks. Now that the toad was also fighting, Zabuza was outnumbered two to one._

'_Great', he thought. 'I was getting my ass kicked by him alone and now I have to fight a toad, too.' He cursed as he dodged an oil bullet from the toad. Zabuza ran low and fast, keeping out of the reach of the toad. He was joined by a clone of the Sannin at his side who unleashed a Suiton: Mizurappa at him. Zabuza dug Kubikiribōchō in the ground to stop in time to avoid the water attack. He slashed at the exposed back of the clone, dispelling him. He was too late to react to the kick sent by the real ninja and felt his left shoulder dislocate from the impact. He bit his lip as he was thrown away. He rolled on the ground to avoid a number of quick kicks, aimed at his head. He grabbed Kubikiribōchō tightly and as he rolled of the ground, used it as a pole vaulter's pole and kicked the incoming ninja in the gut, causing him to go crashing back._

_Jiraiya felt the air leave his lungs as the kick connected with his gut region. He bounced on the ground as the force of the kick threw him back._

'_Damn! Looks like he used chakra burst in that kick.' He smirked as he rolled to his feet. 'Still, it doesn't have anything on Tsunade's punches.' _

_He stood up and took a breath and allowed the Mist nukenin some time to recover as well. He watched as the man snapped his shoulder back in place. Jiraiya watched as the man took up his sword again, preparing for another wave of attack. Had Jiraiya wanted, he could have killed Zabuza by now. But he didn't because that was not his aim. He wanted to see just how far was the swordsman willing to go for his students. Would he give up if backed into a corner and tell Jiraiya where the boys were headed or would he go down fighting, defiant till the very end?_

_The field where the two ninja were fighting was already scarred with the marks of a battle. Under the moonlight, two figures stood opposite each other, waiting. If one could look beyond the violence, the scene almost held a morbid beauty. The tense atmosphere along with the deadly precision of the ninja created a hypnotizing view. The heavens watched as the swordsman panted._

_Zabuza was in pain. He could feel that if this continued, he barely had enough in him to maybe hold the man here for ten more minutes. This called for desperate measures. He formed three mizu bunshin. He needed to distract the Sannin long enough to complete this jutsu. He needed to concentrate a lot of chakra for this Two-step jutsu. He needed time. His mizu bunshin dashed forward in a line formation. Jiraiya also created three clones to deal with the water clones while he tried to go and engage Zabuza. To his surprise, each of the mizu bunshin used one of the sword attacks that Zabuza had tried on him, each catching his clones with the attack. Then the mizu bunshin rushed at him, forming a V formation. As the foremost bunshin slashed his sword at him the other two jumped up and cut off his escape from above. _

_Jiraiya smirked. "It may be good enough for other ninja, brat. Not for me." He taunted as he formed a rasengan in his hand and caught the spearhead's sword on it. The clone felt the sword jerk out of his hands before the blue swirling orb of chakra rammed into his chest, turning him into water. The other two clones slashed downwards at the exposed Sannin but missed as Jiraiya shunshined above them. They watched wide eyed, surprised at the speed the old man had mustered. Jiraiya formed the seals and unleashed a huge fireball right as a spray of oil from the toad hit them. In a huge explosion, they too returned to water. _

'_Just a while longer.' Zabuza cursed as he continued making seals. This was the strongest jutsu his master had taught him. It ate chakra like a bitch, but if it connected, even the Sannin would find himself hard pressed to remain conscious._

_Jiraiya finally noticed that the nukenin hadn't moved from his spot and was still making seals. He realized that it must be a really strong jutsu to take the man so long to perform. He made seals of his own as dark clouds started forming over them. Zabuza rolled to his side to avoid the stone spikes rushing at him._

'_Finally.' He thought as he finished his seals and raised his arms into the air. The clouds above him roared with thunder and bolts of lightning started to descended on the ground they were fighting on. Jiraiya started dodging as lightning started getting close to him._

_Zabuza layered his arms with lightning chakra, making them lightning rods for the thunder. Two large bolts fell on him, illuminating his entire body. Zabuza clenched his jaw as he felt the burn passing over his body. He mixed the lightning from the bolt to his lightning chakra, getting a powerful boost. He concentrated the lightning to his feet and disappeared._

"_JIRAIYA, LOOK OUT!" the toad, Gamasuzan shouted as Jiraiya felt Zabuza rushing at him with an insane speed, crackling and shining with the lightning cloaking his body. Zabuza slipped inside his defenses and punched him in the gut, causing the Sannin to cough up blood. Zabuza drew back for another strike as Jiraiya managed to focus again. He leaned back as an electrically charged punch flew over his head. He was about to jump back when Zabuza grabbed hold of his arm. The demon of the mist looked into his eyes and smiled. _

"_**Raiton:Raiu Tataku." **_

_A very large sized Lightning bolt shot down towards them both as Zabuza let go of him after Jiraiya rammed a rasengan into the man. The nukenin was thrown away from the Sannin. The damage, however, had been done. Jiraiya was in the range of the descending bolt of lightning. In the short while Zabuza had been in contact with the Sannin, he had succeeded in transferring most of his electric charge onto Jiraiya, making him a good target for the lightning._

_Jiraiya watched as the lightning locked on to him. "GET DOWN, JIRAIYA!" Gamasuzan jumped over his summoner to shield him and taking the bolt himself. The toad screamed as he felt the lightning burn through his body. He fainted and vanished in an explosion of smoke. _

_Meanwhile, Zabuza managed to get to his feet, ignoring the pain in his left arm that was hanging limp at his side after taking the attack from the blue sphere. Zabuza swayed as his last remaining strength started to leave him. He cursed as he saw that the toad managed to save its summoner from his last ditch effort to take the Sannin down. Now it was only a matter of minutes before the konoha legend finished him. He grit his teeth._

'If I'm going down, I'm going down like a member of the Seven Swordsmen of the mist_'._

_He grabbed Kubikiribōchō in his right hand and started to run towards the legendary Sannin aiming to injure the man before he recovered. He had barely reached him when the toad summoner looked at him with fury in his eyes. Jiraiya ducked below the slash and faster than Zabuza could react and slammed his hands to the ground. A flat headed stone slab rose out of the ground and caught Zabuza in the ribs. Zabuza flew into the air, wincing in pain as his grip on the sword loosened. Fast as his shadow, he saw Jiraiya appear next to him in the air. Jiraiya kicked him in his spine and Zabuza rushed to the ground. He hit the earth with enough force to make him bounce back up a feet in the air. Zabuza felt Kubikiribōchō slip out of his hands. As if this wasn't enough, Jiraiya landed next to him and grabbed him by the neck and tossed him into the air and made seals._

"_**Kuchiyose: Yatai Kuzushi no Jutsu."**_

_Zabuza saw a large shadow appear above him as he fell towards the earth again. As soon as he hit the ground, he felt something heavy fall on top of him knocking the stuffing out of him and effectively pinning him down. The weight had knocked all the air out of his lungs and he struggled to breathe. He wheezed for a while before he managed to inhale some air. He mustered enough strength to turn his neck and saw a huge toad crushing him under a single foot. He saw Kubikiribōchō lying a distance away. He felt his last remaining strength burn out. _

_This was it. He was defeated. _

_Now, there was one thing that he needed to do before he died. Zabuza panted in pain. Kubikiribōchō had been yanked from his hand by the last attack. He could feel the pain in his left arm as it bent to an impossible angle. He used his thumb to wipe some blood on the sword's seal and summoned it into his hands. He drew a line on the flat side of the blade and performed hand seals. He took a deep breath as a he heard footsteps approaching. He slammed his hand on the sword, returning it into the scroll._

_A pair of feet stopped in front of him. _

'I'm sorry, but it looks like the rest is up to you now, gaki.'_He thought as he lost consciousness._

* * *

_Jiraiya breathed slowly, breathing in and out to control his temper. It would be bad for what he was planning if he killed the nukenin. He glanced at the unconscious ninja, pinned beneath his summons feet. He had lost his temper on seeing Gamasuzan scream in agony before dispelling. He knew first hand that Raiton jutsu hurt like a bitch. They felt like you were being burnt from the inside out. Not a pleasant feeling. The shakes remained even after the attack struck. He had wanted to just kill Zabuza, to hell with his plan. But wiser counsel prevailed. So, he had been sitting here, trying to calm himself down for the past twenty minutes. He felt he was calm enough. He reached out with his foot and poked Zabuza in the ribs._

_Zabuza groaned in pain as he started to come around. He then noticed his position and became alert at once. He glanced at the Sannin and at once decided that the only reason for the Sannin to not kill him was to torture him for information. He was about to bite down on his tongue to stop that when he felt Jiraiya poke a pressure point in his neck. His jaw fell slack, not allowing him to kill himself. He glared up at the Sannin, cursing him to death with his eyes. _

"_Easy there, brat." Jiraiya sat back down, smirking at the intense glare Zabuza was regarding him with. "I don't mean to ask you any questions that you wouldn't mind answering." Zabuza continued to glare at the Sannin. Jiraiya sighed. He looked at Zabuza seriously. _

"_Why did you choose him as your disciple?" Jiraiya watched as Zabuza's eyebrows rose. It seemed that the man wasn't expecting this question. He regarded the Sannin with a curious expression. Then he nodded. Jiraiya pressed the pressure point again to allow Zabuza to move his mouth. He waited as Zabuza moved his jaw to regain feeling._

"_I did it because he was good enough, because he earned it." Zabuza answered, remembering how Naruto had completed the challenge presented to him. He glanced up at the silver haired man listening closely. "It's not like I just made him my disciple randomly. I set him a near impossible task. He completed it and earned his shot for the spot of my disciple. Later, he completed the ceremony."_

_Jiraiya listened attentively. He frowned at his prisoner. _

"_Not because of what he holds?" Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, watchful of every detail. Zabuza sighed. It seemed like the reason for this interrogation wasn't getting the location of his students out of him. _

_YET. _

_He was probably going to die anyways. He saw no reason to lie. "When I took him in, initially, it did cross my mind that he was a valuable tool." _

_Jiraiya frowned on hearing this. He thought perhaps he was wrong after all._

"_But," Zabuza glanced up at him, "I let that thought go a long time ago." He said simply as if stating a confession. _

_Jiraiya wasn't satisfied. "Why?" the Sannin regarded Zabuza with a steel gaze._

"_Because the brat is like me." Zabuza sighed, looking away from the silver haired ninja, resting his forehead on the ground. "We were both alone and hated by the very people we wanted to grow up and protect. I lost myself in the pain and hate when I grew up. I didn't have anyone to stop me until I found my master." _

_Jiraiya nodded as he began to understand. "The previous wielder of the blade." He remarked. _

_Slowly, Zabuza nodded. "Yes." He took a deep breath, "But by the time I became a man, it was too late for me. I already hated everyone with every fiber of my being, except him."_

_The two remained silent for a while, contemplating what had been said. "So, you just decided to be there for Naruto?" Jiraiya asked. "Somehow, I don't buy it." He shifted into a more comfortable position. He leaned to his side, resting his elbow onto the ground and scratched his chin. Zabuza raised his head and glared at him._

"_I don't give a flying crap about what you buy or what you don't. I'm telling you the truth in hopes that when you kill me, you'd do me the favor of making it quick." He snarled. _

_Jiraiya listened to the outburst. His face scrunched up and he burst out laughing. "I'm not going to kill you, brat." He wheezed out as he laughed. "No, no. You see," he looked at Zabuza in amusement. "You are of much more use to me alive." Zabuza glared at the Sannin, pissed at the man's amusement at his expense._

"_What are you going to do? Take me back to Konoha to torture for information? That isn't a bright plan seeing as how I have been a missing nin for many years and whatever I knew is outdated by now." He spat._

_Jiraiya laughed a bit again. "Nope. I'm not taking you to Konoha either." He moved his face a little closer to Zabuza. "I have something else in mind." He leaned back. "I just had to make sure that you really cared for Naruto and weren't just using him for what he held." Jiraiya explained. _

_Zabuza looked at the man cautiously. The Sannin couldn't be hinting what he thought the guy was hinting, could he?_

"_Go on." Zabuza said slowly. Jiraiya turned a little serious as he continued. "I'm guessing he told you why he ran away from Konoha?" Jiraiya glanced down questioningly at the prone form of Zabuza under his summon, referring to Naruto. _

_Zabuza nodded. "Yeah, someone tried to make a roasted fox out of him." _

_Jiraiya sighed and his demeanor changed to a mixture of sadness and anger. Finally, Jiraiya shifted his serious gaze over to Zabuza. "That man was executed on the orders of the Hokage." _

_Zabuza whistled at this piece of news. In his experience, Jinchuuriki weren't treated fairly and were fair game to all others. Then he remembered that Naruto was supposedly pretty close to the Hokage. He nodded to Jiraiya to continue. _

"_Also," Jiraiya crossed his arms across his chest as he sat straight again. "the Hokage plans to take Naruto into his own house when someone finds and brings him back." This caused the nukenin's eyebrows go back up in surprise. Jiraiya continued, without any pause. "That will make sure that he is amply protected in the future." He stopped and sighed yet again. Zabuza managed to raise himself onto his elbow to look up properly at the man opposite him, in spite of the fact that he was still squished under the toad._

_Jiraiya noticed this and nodded to the toad who returned the nod and dispelled. Zabuza heaved a sigh as the weight vanished from his body. He still couldn't move though, he was beaten pretty soundly. He glanced up at Jiraiya again. _

"_From the way you are sighing, I feel a 'but' coming up." _

_Jiraiya nodded. "Yeah, there is." He rested his chin on his hands. "Even though he will be protected, he will still be treated with the same hate by the villagers. The Hokage can't exactly order them to be nice to Naruto. But here, on the other hand, " he glanced at Zabuza, "like your student said, here he is happy. He is learning from a teacher who cares for him, he has a friend who was willing to die to protect him." Jiraiya sighed again._

_Zabuza listened in silence. He was beginning to understand what the Sannin was trying to say. Even if the Hokage managed to stop the outward mistreatment of Naruto, the boy would still be the village pariah, no matter what. Even in the academy, as Zabuza had found out, the instructors didn't bother teaching the boy properly. Even the 'Iruka' guy, however well he meant, didn't understand that the brat learned better from doing, rather than reading or remembering. But here, he was learning in a positive environment. He had Haku to help him and act as a role model. He, himself was a pretty good teacher for the brat, if he thought without being modest. _

_Zabuza was sure than given enough time, say two years, Naruto could become a decent ninja of skills equivalent to a chuunin, if not better. Even if he would be in danger from Hunters that were after Zabuza, it wouldn't be much different from when he would have joined a genin team under a jounin of the leaf in a few years, had he not run away. Zabuza glanced up at the Sannin who was still thinking deeply._

"_So, what are you going to do?" he asked, even though he had an inkling of what the Toad sage was thinking. Jiraiya let his gaze shift to Zabuza, who was looking at him intently. _

"_It is just as you are guessing." He spoke after a few moments. "I think it is best for Naruto that he remains with you. At least for a few years." Jiraiya added. "Provided you can keep him safe." He rested an intense glare at the nukenin. _

_Zabuza laughed. "If the kid dies, chances are I must be dead as well." Jiraiya accepted this statement with a sigh. He understood that in the life of a shinobi, nothing was definite. Zabuza couldn't guarantee Naruto's safety any more than he could his own._

"_Very well." Jiraiya said as he stood up. He stretched as he let his gaze wander to the site of their fight. Zabuza's last attack had pretty much screwed up the place. The smell of burnt grass hung in the air, along with the many earth spikes he himself had formed during the fight. It would be clear to even a civilian eye that there had been a battle here. _

"_I leave him to you." He glanced down, where Zabuza was still lying on the ground. "Keep him safe. I'll send my summons periodically to check up on him and get reports on his growth. Heck, maybe even send you something to teach him." He grinned. "I suggest you move out of this area as it is clear that someone fought here. Hunters would be flocking to this location soon."_

"_Haku knows who you are. What do I tell him when I return in one piece? There is no way I could have escaped you on my own." Zabuza asked, grudgingly stating the facts. _

_Jiraiya thought for a moment. "Just tell him half- truths. I beat the living crap out of you, which I did." He rested an amused glance on the fuming nukenin. "Tell him that I was gone when you came to, and you don't know where I went." Zabuza thought it over for a few seconds and then nodded, glancing at the Sannin. _

"_Well, then." Jiraiya brushed a hand through his mane, "I'll keep in touch." He waved his hand and turned away._

_With that, Jiraiya shunshined away. _

_-flashback end-_

Zabuza sighed. He couldn't tell them the truth, so he told them what he had discussed with the Sannin.

"I fought him for a while, at the end of which he gave me an ass-kicking I am not likely to forget until I die." He groaned as the muscles in his legs complained for the mistreatment earlier. Kisame grinned at this sight.

"What happened?" he asked interested. It seemed like very embarrassing story. Kisame just loved embarrassing stories. Zabuza shifted a narrowed eye towards his fellow swordsman, who seemed more amused than was proper at a friend's thrashing.

"Squished me under a toad the size of Mizukage's mansion."

Itachi's eyebrows went up and Kisame whistled.

"Gamabunta?" Itachi asked, referring to the famed boss toad who was known for being the summon of the Yondaime Hokage. Zabuza shook his head and groaned at the throbbing that accompanied in his head. "No, some other purple-maroon colored toad."

Kisame and Itachi shared a glance that Zabuza saw.

"That doesn't make him any less heavy, dumbasses." He spat.

"What happened then?" Haku asked, more interested in the story than some toads he had never heard about. Zabuza looked at Haku. "That's it." He sighed. "I blacked out after that. When I came to, I was in the field, all alone. I don't know where he went." Zabuza finished.

Itachi nodded. "Is that why you rushed here even though you need more time to heal?" he asked.

Zabuza accepted the chance fate had offered him. "Yeah." He nodded. "I thought he may have managed to track you lot here." He glanced at Haku and the sleeping form of his apprentice. Then he looked back at the cloaked nukenin. "That brings me to my question." He stated. "What are you doing here?"

Itachi and Kisame looked at each other, wondering where to start. "Actually, we were just passing through." Kisame scratched his neck. "But then I saw him," he nodded towards the blonde, "on the canyon bed. I got curious and came down to investigate. One thing led to another and I challenged him to make me move from my spot." Kisame grinned. _I think this is going to shock the socks off him. _Kisame continued nonchalantly, "The brat made a thousand shadow clones and, unfortunately, I had to move." He waited for Zabuza's reaction. He wasn't disappointed.

"He did WHAT?" Zabuza asked, his eyebrows retreating up towards his hitai-ate. "He doesn't even know that jutsu." Zabuza frowned at Kisame. "Don't pull my leg, shark."

Kisame chuckled. "I'm not." He grinned. "If you are so shocked by hearing about it, imagine my reaction when it happened right before my eyes."

Zabuza turned to face Itachi, small amounts of killer intent emitting from him. "Did you teach him that jutsu?" he growled at the Uchiha.

Itachi merely shook his head.

Kisame frowned. "Weren't you listening? The brat knew the technique before I met him. Apparently, he was practicing it when I saw him that night." Zabuza's gaze rested on the blonde. _I should have known. The brat has a knack of pulling off the impossible._

He sighed, shaking his head. He finally sunk into his pillow. Kisame smirked as he watched the demon of the mist sigh.

"Well, no need to say that I found that very interesting. Even more interesting was when the brat took out Kubikiribōchō's Deshi no ken. THAT really got me curious." He grinned. "So we got talking. The kids told me that you were fighting Jiraiya when they left. We all assumed that you had kicked the bucket by then. So we," he moved his hand between himself and Itachi, "decided to adopt them." Itachi nodded when Zabuza passed a questioning eye over to him.

Kisame wisely skimmed over the portion where Itachi almost fried Naruto's insides with a Raiton jutsu. He had a feeling that Zabuza wouldn't like that. "We were gonna stay here for a few days, teaching them new tricks for a while, before we moved on. Good thing you hurried over. Two more days and we would have left by then." Kisame slapped Zabuza on the shoulder in a friendly gesture.

"So, now what do we do?" Once again, Haku asked the most relevant question.

Zabuza groaned. "Whatever we decide, I'm sure it can wait until later." All the others nodded their agreement. Haku smiled as he stood up. He walked away to fix something to eat. _Things are getting interesting…_

* * *

**Translation: Raiu Tataku - Thunderstorm strike.**

**Author's Note:-**

**So... How do you like the twist ?**

**Some of you guys who were really sad to see Zabuza's (assumed) death. Some readers noticed the fact that the actual Kill was never shown and were optimistic. :-D **

**I have big plans for the Mist nukenin ^_^**

**Anyways, I'm always happy to know what my readers think, so drop me a line.**

**Next chapter in 45- 60 days.**


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